Spun
by Liz Wyatt
Summary: Rogue took the cure. Now she's facing the consequences. She'll have to become stronger to remain Rogue and not disappear into Marie. What happens when someone comes back from the dead & makes her life more complicated? FINAL CHAPT UP, THOUGHTS?
1. Can't Behave

Disclaimer: I don't own anything relating to X-men in any way. This is fanfic and if you read it. You know the drill by now.

Rating: T or (PG-13)

Timeline: After X3: The Last Stand

Author's Note: Sorry if the characters are a little OOC. This is my first x-men fic and I'm still trying to figure out their voices. This is a short chapter, but it's more of a setup for the rest of this story.

Now We Spinning, Now we spinning, Now we

**SPUN**

_By Liz Wyatt_

**Chapter One: Can't Behave**

One day I'm walking away  
The tide is gonna turn I'm gonna find my place  
Give me a reason to stay  
I want to be your lover  
Baby but you can't behave

-"Can't Behave" by Courtney Jayne

Two weeks. The war that Magneto had raged had ended two weeks ago. The school was under Storm's watchful eye and while Logan still grieved for Jean he had managed to come out and help Storm in her weaker moments. Rogue had to admire Storm's ability to step up and take charge in the past months since Jean died (the first time) and Scott had cut himself off completely from the school. In the end they had lost 3 of the major leaders of the school. Including the professor himself.

So it soon became the duty for Storm to take over. A duty that she put upon herself. Rogue had avoided Logan through all the chaos, but it seemed that her old friend was starting to come out of his room more often. There was always the fear in the back of Rogue's mind that Logan would shut down and leave the school. It's not that she didn't trust Storm, but it was more that Logan was the only person that Rogue felt grounded with. He gave her the ability to be herself through and through.

So where was her boyfriend in all this craziness? Bobby "the iceman" as he was called now was still in Rogue's life, but increasingly their relationship was becoming harder. She knew that they had feelings for each other that some could call "love", but to some their "relationship" seemed more of a "friendship" because of Rogue's inability to touch people.

So she took the cure.

She took it to be able to have a "normal" life. She only regretted that being "normal" seemed to be a problem in her current situation. She lived in the center of what was considered "not normal" people. Mutants.

Bobby loved her. She knew he would continue to love her through anything. But she also knew that he was getting closer and closer to Kitty Pride. Kitty once was a good friend of Rogue's circle, but their friendship had changed in the past year.

Jubilee says it was because Kitty always liked to hang out with Bobby and John. She always liked being the one person of the opposite sex who happened to get all the attention. That's just the way that dynamics go when you have two boys and one girl. Whether Kitty liked Bobby or John at the time is unclear, but what was clear was the fact that when Rogue entered their lives she took the boys attention away from Kitty and on to herself.

So was Kitty jealous or was she just mad?

Rogue didn't want to worry about the past. Especially with her new future of humanity and normalness. The reality was that Bobby was good friends with Kitty and through all the tragedy and fighting that had taken place Bobby couldn't help but be the good guy that he is and watch out for Kitty.

Rogue wished that she could know exactly what Bobby was thinking, but she didn't exactly have Jean's telepathy. Not that she needed it necessarily to see the way that Bobby looked at Kitty. She could tell that he was attracted to her. Rogue was sure that when John and Bobby hung out with Kitty before they both were probably attracted to her. Theirs was a choice group. When Bobby chose to date Rogue, John kind of came along with him. Not that Rogue minded at the time.

Things were different now. Bobby hated John. John was presumed dead. Kitty was again the center of two guy's attention (Bobby and Peter) and Rogue was again left to wonder where her life was going.

So amongst all this confusion and pain it was strange that Rogue should find herself at the school's gates with a bag in hand contemplating taking that step across the school's threshold.

Frozen in place, as if the professor had used a mind trick to stop her dead in her tracks she stood facing the gates. Her bag lay next to her feet.

I'll only be gone a day. Two days. A week…just enough to see what the world has become out there. Only a week. No longer. Right?

Thoughts clouded Rogue's mind. Her voice ringing clear through. (a new development since the other voices in her head had left with her powers).

"Planning on going somewhere?"

Logan.

Rogue didn't move from her spot. She didn't need any special powers to know that Logan was behind her on the driveway.

"Maybe. Why you gonna stop me THIS time?" She was referring to the time not long ago when Logan had let her go off to get the cure.

"no. I told you, I'm not your father kid. Although…being that I am your friend I would have hoped that you woulda said goodbye."

She turned around to face him now. Her eyes staring straight into his.

"I just…need to figure some things out. I mean…what am I now? A human living with mutants…not exactly a happy go lucky story," she said never breaking away from his eyes.

He sighed and kept her eye contact. "They giving you trouble in there?"

She shook her head. Not to say no, but more this dismiss Logan's train of thought.

"I can't be Rogue in there Logan. I want to be. I want to be accepted just like anybody else, but I can't. I'm not one of them anymore. They know it. I know it. God….even the world knows it on some level. Whatever is left of my friends in there look at me the same way that my parents did. Except it's the reverse. Like wanting to touch people and have a normal relationship is such a damn sin!"

Logan closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath.

"Kid. You made a choice. I know it's hard and yes, there will ALWAYS be people out there trying to break you down, but sometimes you just need to accept that and live your life. Trust me it's hard out there on your own. So if you're leaving to try and find some better life or whatever then I can't stop you. Just know that this place is always here for you Rogue." She smiled at that. "Yeah…you'll always be Rogue, Marie, whatever you want to be. Mutant or human. You'll always have me and the school."

She laughed slightly, "you aligning yourself with the school?"

He smirked at her, "never said that, but if I'm here when you get back…maybe then."

"yeah…" She let her eyes drop down. "I'm going to go."

He nodded slightly as if to say goodbye.

She turned and scooped up her bag into her hand. The next thing Rogue knew she was sitting in a New York park watching people, normal people.


	2. Bend & Break

Spun

By Liz Wyatt

Chapter Two: Bend and Break

_When you, when you forget your name  
When old faces all look the same  
Meet me in the morning when you wake up  
Meet me in the morning then you'll wake up  
If only I don't bend and break  
I'll meet you on the other side  
I'll meet you in the light  
If only I don't suffocate  
I'll meet you in the morning when you wake_

_Bitter and hardened heart  
Aching waiting for life to start  
Meet me in the morning when you wake up_

_-"Bend and Break" by Keane_

* * *

Her bag sat next to her on the bench. Her green jacket seemed a bit too heavy on the warm spring day. She stripped it off and put her scarf into her bag. The red satin gloves covered her hands and up to her elbows. She couldn't quite let them go. They had become such a normal thing to her that she hadn't taken them off. 

While looking around the park she saw runners, mothers with their babies, people out walking their dogs, and such. She noticed that they all looked at her strangely as they passed her bench. At first she became paranoid wondering if they all knew about her. Then she realized it was the fact that, she a young girl was alone, dressed in dark colors and with a bag as her bench mate. Rogue quickly stood up and started walking. She had her bag under her arm, with her coat tucked inside as she walked and tried to take off her gloves. As she was in this awkward position she noticed that she had traveled into an old man's chess playing area. Frustrated with her gloves she put her bag down on one of the stone seats and began to take her gloves off. That's when someone sat across from her bag. She assumed it was just another old man.

Magneto. She step back after realizing it was him. She looked around frantically as if she were looking for members of his brotherhood.

"Rogue." He said in that drawn out way.

"Magneto." She spat back bitterly.

"Oh, don't worry I don't bite…anymore." He smirked.

"so I heard. Didn't know you liked parks filled with humans." His smirk dropped.

"I come her for the chess. The humans….just happen to be here."

"You know that you're one of them now right? A human. What you call a…weak…pathetic…measly…"

"- I hear I'm not the only one." He cut her off with an evil laughter held in his eyes.. Her face dropped.

"how…"

"You think that we have secrets on my side. No, my boy Pyro told me about you and your little ice boyfriend."

She sat down assuming that if they were going to talk that she might as well not have the whole park know their conversation.

"Is he…John…or Pyro…is he alive?" she asked, her voice dripping with emotion.

Magneto found this curious. He looked at her questioningly.

"Aren't you more concerned with your own people Rogue?" he drew this out as well. Each word hitting Rogue like cement blocks to her head. She was an X-men…or was one, but here she was appearing to worry about the enemy.

"It's just…Bobby told me that John…Pyro was killed in the fight." She looked up expectantly.

He smiled slightly. "He told me about you BEFORE that. What has become of him…I don't remember. I was pulled out of there so nicely by the army." He had sarcasm in the last part of his statement.

Rogue's hands fidgeted together under the cement chess table and her eyes were trying to look anywhere, but Magnetos.

"did you…care about him?" Magneto asked with a curious knowing tone.

"who?"

"Pyro."

"He…used to be my friend."

"yes…but he has long outgrown that stage in his life. You know he killed many men without a second thought."

Rogue's eyes stared straight into Magnetos trying to figure out where he was going with their conversation.

"I never said we were still friends. You made sure of that."

"Whatever do you mean by that my dear?" he asked innocently.

She was becoming increasingly frustrated. "YOU changed him. YOU made him turn his back on his friends with notions of some better life or some shit like that."

"See THAT is where you are mistaken my dear. Pyro made his own choice. Maybe it is YOU that held him back. Maybe Charles and that school made him into something he was not."

Logan's words came back full force. "You made a choice…"

She stood up finally achieving the realization that she needed.

"Maybe John wasn't who I thought he was back at school, but maybe he wasn't who you thought he was either. You're right though Magneto…John did make a choice. We all make choices everyday. They define between what is right and what is easy. You chose the easy way and now I have to go the hard one."

She picked up her bag and smiled to herself. She didn't need a week. Two days. Two days was all it took to know that she only belonged next to Logan in the school. No matter what her "friends" say, she didn't belong in the real world. She wasn't ready to be the runner in the park or the old man playing chess alone.

* * *

Bobby was walking quickly through the hall down to Storm's office. Kitty saw him walking by the common room and she shot up quickly from her seat to go out into the hallway.

"Bobby." She said with a large smile plastered on her face as he stopped and turned around.

"Hey Kitty." He said slightly annoyed. Her eyebrows furrowed and she walked to close the gap between them.

"Hey…what's wrong?"

"nothing…just…" he looked up into her eyes and sighed. "Rogue…" He saw Kitty's shoulders drop down. Her perkyself looking defeated.

"It's just…I think she left again and I'm thinking this may be a permanent thing because I haven't really been spending all that much of time with her lately." Kitty looked at him knowing full well that he was spending all his time with her in the Danger Room, in the common room, etc.

"She's going to be okay Bobby…I mean she's human now." His face clenched up.

"I know that! I just…she's not normal or whatever. She's special."

"special?" Kitty asked a bit hurt.

"I mean…Rogue's never been able to make it all that well out there on her own. Just look at who she met her first time out." He said referring to Logan.

"Logan's not that bad Bobby."

"I know…I just feel…"

"Guilty?" Kitty asked. Bobby's face fell and he furrowed his brow.

"I'm supposed to be the good boyfriend Kitty. Neglecting her because she's "different" now. Even unintentionally is just….not…acceptable."

"Whoever said that you had to be perfect?" She stepped even closer to him and she put her hand to his cheek.

"Nobody…just me."

"See, if Rogue knows you as well as you know her then you gotta believe that she didn't just leave because of you. We've all been…a little neglectful." Kitty stared into his eyes and smiled sadly.

Logan chose this moment to come down the main staircase. Bobby heard him and he immediately stepped back a little from Kitty and she had a hurt face.

"Logan." Bobby said while turning from Kitty and crossing his arms across his chest.

"Bobby." Logan asked confused while swaggering to the last step.

"Rogue's gone again." Bobby said matter of factly.

"I know."

"You know?...how…" Bobby was pushing his shoulders forward in utter confusion.

"yeah…I saw her leave two days ago. You mean…you JUST realized she was missing?" Logan said while arching an eyebrow his way, but glancing at Kitty. Kitty was now staring down.

"I…well…she…but you…you didn't stop her!?" Bobby was getting mad.

"Hey! Iceboy it's not my place to stop people from leaving. She wanted to go, so I let her go."

"But this is Rogue! I mean she's your friend or something too."

"I know that."

"Then knowing that…how could you JUST…let…her…go? He enunciated every syllable to make it seem more dramatic.

Storm walked out of the professor's office to see Bobby yelling at Logan and Logan standing with his own arms crossed.

"Hey!" Storm yelled to get Bobby to stop. "what in the hell is going on here?"

Bobby and Logan were both too busy glaring at each other. Kitty looked at Storm.

"umm…Bobby was just concerned about Rogue leaving."

"Rogue left?" Storm asked, more toward Logan.

"yes. Rogue left two days ago." Logan said, while turning his head in her direction.

"two days…but, why?"

"why don't you ask iceboy over here."

"Hey! You're the one that talked her into leaving. Saying it was okay and all that."

"don't put this on me boy."

"oh, trying to show how old you are or something Logan. Like you're really that much of an authority "wolverine"." They were getting closer to Storm stepped between them and pushed them back with her hands.

"Hey! Unless you both want to feel what it's like to be electrocuted then I suggest you quit this NOW!"

Bobby turned to Kitty.

"Let's go." He grabbed her arm and started to walk away. She turned towards Rogue and held her eyes to apologize. Storm simply nodded in understanding.

"Storm…"

"ah hmm!..Logan, if you say one more thing about Bobby I swear-" Storms lips pursed together in frustration.

"wasn't going to." He cut her off.

"good. Now tell me about Rogue." They walked into the professors office as Logan retold the story.

* * *

Rogue stood at the front gate pushing the call button. She heard the camera mechanically draw itself in her direction. Then the gate opened and she walked on to the driveway. The moment she did she had a flash of memories hit her.

_"This is the school I was telling you about." Rogue looked to the woman in pilot seat of the jet. "you're going to love it here."_

_She glanced at Logan's sleeping form next her and then to the man seated in the co-pilot seat. He had a large visor. The woman had white hair. Suddenly Rogue thought you had to have some defining costumish thing to fit in at this school._

_She looked out the window at the old stone building as the jet lowered into the opening on the basketball court. Kids were in the windows watching the jet lower and she felt self conscious as if those kids could see her. She noticed in one window there was a flame burning brighter and brighter behind the face of a boy in a window. The flame eventually stopped all together as Rogue noticed two figures occupied the window now._

"You came back!" Storm greeted Rogue at the front door with a hug.

"yeah…ah just couldn't stay away." She laughed nervously.

"Well…I'm glad. You know there is always a place here for you Rogue."

Rogue simply smiled and walked further in to the main hall. The lights were dimly lighting the hallways as Rogue knew it was late at night and most of the students were asleep in their beds.

"where's Logan?" Rogue asked Storm who was now next to her.

"umm…I think he's downstairs somewhere. Probably in the danger room or something. Do you want me to put your stuff in your room and you can go see him?"

"sure.." Rogue was confused. She knew Storm was nice, but this was a little weird.

Storm lifted Rogue's bag and smiled at her. "well okay then…"

Rogue smiled oddly and walked to the elevator.

* * *

Walking down the long silver corridors Rogue could still recall Dr. Grey checking her up in the medical area and then having Scott escort her upstairs. It seemed like someone else's life now. As she turned to go in the danger room she could hear what seemed like a battle going on in the danger room. She opened to the door to see a replica of the final battle with the brotherhood and with Jean. She spotted Logan in the center of it with a crazed looking Jean in the middle. Suddenly fire hit Logan and Rogue noticed John fighting Bobby on the sidelines. The whole x-men group was battling it out. For a second Rogue wondering if it was all real. She could see Kitty phase through a guy and then knock him out.

Was this what it was like? Rogue had heard stories about the fight, but to be in it was a strange feeling. She felt like she was being inappropriate going into Logan's world.

"Logan!" Rogue yelled to be heard over the loud blasts. Logan noticed her, but he must have thought she was just another member of this created battle.

"Rogue! He rushed over to her. "You're here! You didn't take the cure."

She was confused and her heart sank at the realization that Logan really thought she was one of the figments of the danger room.

"Logan…"

"here…take my power. You're the only one that can stop Jean. Take my healing power and get close enough to take that phoenix thing out of her! Quickly, this whole place is going to come down soon."

"Logan…I"

"No time, Rogue. Go!" he pulled her hand and placed it to his cheek. Rogue tried to hold back tears.

"did it work?" Logan asked expectantly.

"Logan…this isn't real. I'm not one of them."

"one of what?"

"Logan. You're in the danger room."

His face fell and he stepped back from her as if he had been burned by her touch. She felt a tear drop out of her left eye. She quickly wiped it away.

Logan looked around frantically and then back at her.

"You weren't there."

She shook her head and tried to hold back more tears.

"it all makes sense now." He yelled for the program to be over and Rogue watched Bobby and John fade away.

"Logan…"

"you could have stopped her. I never thought of it before. That's why I came here. To figure out what was wrong. Why she…had to…why we couldn't…" he realized that his own emotions were heavy. "but you took it…the cure."

"Logan…I'm so sorry!" she began to let the tears come freely.

He didn't know how to react so he walked out, leaving her there alone.


	3. Can't Take It

**Spun**

_By Liz Wyatt_

**A/N:** Thanks dulcesweet for the support!

**Chapter Three: Can't Take It**

_Can't close my eyes  
I'm wide awake  
Every hair on my body  
Has got a thing for this place  
Oh, empty my heart  
I've got to make room for this feeling  
It's so much bigger than me_

_Weightless in love...unraveling  
For all that's to come  
And all that's ever been_

_-"can't take it" by Imogen Heap_

* * *

Rogue woke with a tired heart. She felt the sting in her eyes from her crying the night before. She felt like she had never cried that much in her entire life. 

After taking a shower Rogue looked in the foggy mirror and wiped it quickly to reveal her pale form.

She wished that it had been her.

Wished that she could have saved Jean.

It hadn't even occurred to her until last night that with her powers she could have stopped Jean. It might have killed her, but that was a small price to pay. People missed Jean. She was the center to the school. Rogue was…no one.

Refusing to cry anymore Rogue got dressed in her low riding jeans and black wife beater that let a little skin show above her jeans. She had never wore such exposed clothes before at the school, but she knew that she needed to show people that she was not ashamed to be cured.

Walking down the stairs to the dining room she could see Bobby sitting at a table with Kitty. She was rubbing his back to comfort him. Jubilee was also at the table, facing towards Rogue's entrance. She was looking bored until she looked up and locked eyes with Rogue. Kitty raised her head and turned around to see where Jubilee's vision was going. Upon doing so Kitty's hand stopped rubbing Bobby's back and he looked at her questioningly only to look around and see Rogue. He pushed his chair away from the table and came rushing towards her doorway. She backed out of the doorway and stood away from the dining hall. He came out and looked her with a huge grin on his face.

"you came back!" he said in a happy voice. Rogue was confused at how happy he was. Wasn't he the one avoiding her before she left?

"yeah. I just had to figure some stuff out is all."

"I thought you would have talked to me about it before though. I mean…I am your boyfriend right?" he asked as if her answer defined their relationship and Rogue narrowed her eyes on him.

"I don't know Bobby. I mean, do you still want to go out with a normal human girl or are you more into cats?" His smile left his face and he dropped his eyes.

"Rogue…Kitty and I just friends. I would never cheat on you. Ever." He had a serious tone.

"I know Bobby." She sighed. "I know you are a good guy who wouldn't WANT to hurt anyone."

"yeah, so I just don't understand why you're getting so jealous of Kitty. I thought we all used to be friends."

"we used to be friends with John too, but look at that." Rogue watched his jaw clench at John's name.

"Well Kitty didn't betray us and turn her back on her friends to go play some bad guy's bitch."

"Hey! John wasn't Magneto's bitch. He chose a side Bobby."

"why are you defending him? He's gone. Dead. End of story." Rogue had never heard him say things in such a hate filled manner.

"He's only dead because you let your personal feelings get in the way and YOU left him there to die." Bobby's face showed the shock coming through his body.

"Don't make me feel guilty for leaving Pyro there. Like you said he chose a side Rogue…Why are we even fighting about this? We shouldn't be fighting at all."

"We shouldn't, yet we fight more and more it seems." Rogue looked tired and Bobby was pissed off.

Kitty chose this moment to come out of the dining hall with Jubilee at her side.

"Hey Rogue." Kitty tried to have a genuine looking smile. Rogue was still upset with Bobby, but she smiled at Kitty none the less.

"Hi Kitty. Jubes." Jubilee smiled at Rogue and then looked at Bobby and Kitty and then rolled her eyes. Earning a silent laugh from Rogue.

"listen. I should go. I need to take care of some things today. Maybe I'll see you guys later." Rogue turned and walked down the hall. Away from a still fuming Bobby who stormed down the opposite hallway alone.

"wonder what they were fighting about." Jubilee said eyeing Kitty.

"me?" Kitty asked innocently. Jubilee nodded. "No…I mean Rogue and Bobby are going out and he's…you know a great guy. She wouldn't…"

"Well they weren't fighting about today's breakfast and that's all I know."

* * *

Two days later Rogue hadn't really talked to Bobby or Logan. Bobby had come looking for her a few times. One time he even knocked at her door and although she was inside she said nothing. Rogue didn't know what to say to him. Eventually she would have to face him, but for now she was fine being by herself. 

The one thing she found to be the light in all that dark was her friendship with Jubilee who sat with her in the common room and gossiped about everyone. Jubilee loved to talk and Rogue was fine not saying anything. Along with Jubilee, Peter had been working with Rogue in the danger room. Her power never really helping her to fight before, she was still learning how to defend herself in a fight. He helped her learn how to make her body into a weapon all itself. Rogue expected that some day Logan would be down there, but as of yet he hadn't come. In fact she hadn't seen him around at all.

After walking out of the elevator with Peter, Rogue was laughing at a joke that he said and then she saw Bobby walking with another boy. Bobby immediately saw her with Peter and he left the boy at his side to come over. Peter noticed this.

"well I should go. Good luck Rogue. See you later maybe."

Rogue looked down, waiting for Bobby to say something as he approached.

"Hey." He said in a small voice.

"Hi." Rogue looked up into his eyes. She saw that he was having a mental fight behind his blue eyes.

"Rogue. I'm sorry…about everything. I was a jerk and just…upset about you leaving."

"I know."

"you know? so why were you avoiding me these past days?" She sighed and slowly tried to gather her thoughts.

"Bobby ah want to be completely honest with you."

"me too Rogue."

"I know that you like Kitty."

"Rogue..."

"no. let me finish. I know you like her and I also know that you still care about me. It's okay, but honestly Bobby I took the damn cure. We can finally be completely together and yet, you don't want to be."

"Rogue…it's not that I don't WANT to be…it's that I'm afraid to be. We've gone so long and…then there is the fact that you are human now. I figured you would want some normal kind of life or whatever and I'm not normal."

Rogue smiled sadly. "I never wanted to be some plain human Bobby. That's not why I took the cure. I wanted to be able to hold your hand and be able to wear tank tops and not be freaked out, to get all those voices out of my head."

He eyed her with a furrowed brow, "I'm so sorry." She nodded slowly and was surprised when he stepped forward to hug her.

Kitty and Jubilee just happened to be coming down the hall and Kitty's face dropped. She caught Rogue's eyes and she walked away quickly. Instead of that "I win!" sort of feeling Rogue felt saddened. Bobby never denied liking Kitty and on some level she knew that two hearts weren't getting hurt anymore, it was three.

* * *

A few days later Rogue was working in the Danger Room alone. She was fighting some random guy that Peter had programmed to have certain skills. Rogue side swept her attacker and quickly jabbed into the man's neck with a sucker punch. She threw him a punch across his face and he grabbed her arm to flip her onto the ground. She swung her foot towards her head area and hit the man straight in his nose. Then she rolled backwards up and punched him in the stomach as she flew up into an attack position. He delivered a punch to her face and Rogue could feel a bruise forming on her cheek. She round house kicked him to the ground and smacked the back of her heel into his face to end the fight. He was out cold and Rogue ended the session. 

She walked upstairs with her black zip up tied around her gray sweatpant capris. Her sneakers squeaked on the shiny floors as she went into the elevator and she could feel the back of her high ponytail hitting her sweaty neck.

When she got up to the main floor she could hear the thunder and see the lightening through the large common room windows. No one was awake because it was a little past midnight and as she walked by the front door she saw that it lie open and the wind was thrashing it about on the hinge. She looked around to see who had left it open, but she saw no one. Thinking nothing of it she walked towards the door and closed it.

Immediately she felt the hairs on her back stand up and a wet hand grabbed to hold her around her waste and another hand went over her mouth as she tried to yell. She could tell that the person had been in the rain because the back of her tank top was quickly soaked with water as the person's chest was in her back, arching her while dragging her to the elevator. Once in the elevator she saw the hand around her mouth press a number for a floor and before she could get her yell completely out the hand was back on her face.

The elevator doors shut and the shiny mirror reflected a man behind her. Her eyes went wide as she realized her attacker was none other than John Allderyce

* * *

**Author's Note: Should I continue this story? I have some more written, but the response hasn't been on here. I need to know if I should invest my time on another story. So please let me know.**


	4. How To Save A Life

**Spun**

**By Liz Wyatt **

_Thanks to **13Skylar3 for reviewing! **I'm glad you like it so far! _

* * *

  
**Chapter Four: How To Save A Life**

_Step one you say we need to talk  
He walks you say sit down it's just a talk  
He smiles politely back at you  
You stare politely right on through  
Some sort of window to your right  
As he goes left and you stay right  
Between the lines of fear and blame  
And you begin to wonder why you came_

_Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend  
Somewhere along in the bitterness  
And I would have stayed up with you all night  
Had I known how to save a life_

_-The Fray_

* * *

  
She tried to wiggle free, murmuring "John" through his hand, but he didn't seem to notice. He was focused somewhere else. The doors opened into the empty hallways and he hurriedly pushed her down one. They were passing familiar doors. She knew that they were about to pass Kitty's and a part of her wanted to kick John and start pounding on her friend's doors to wake them up. To alert them to the fact that one of their archenemies was in their home. Then the thought occurred to Rogue. She could fight him. This is what she had been training for.

Her right foot came down hard onto his and he let go of her mouth. She spun around and took the other one of his hands into a twisted grip. His face was shocked as she flipped him down onto the ground and she put a foot into his chest, holding him in place. For a moment they looked into each other's faces. His body drenched in cold rain and she noticed the blood on his long sleeve shirt, hidden a bit by his leather jacket. He noticed that she was looking at the blood and he kicked her legs out from under her so that she was down on the ground.

Before she could react he had her shoulders pinned down with the palms of his hands and he was in a strange half-crouch/half straddle position.

"Come on Rogue. Not tonight." He said with a tired sigh. Her face hardened and she tried to wiggle out from underneath his weight. No such luck. Then he surprised her by standing up and stepping back. She flipped up in a ready stance and he laughed.

"Where did you learn those moves? You definitely didn't learn them from ice balls." Rogue noticed someone coming out of a room down the hallway behind John. He turned and saw the person so he did the only thing he could think of and he pushed Rogue further down the hallway and he opened her room door and shoved her in. Then he closed the door quietly and with his back turned he didn't see Rogue flop onto the floor from his shove. She started to get up when he turned around.

"What are you doing here?" she said angrily.

"What? Not happy to see me?" he asked in a playful manner.

"You are on x-men territory! Do you not realize that a lot of people in here want to kill you?"

"Some have tried."

"Dammit Pyro."

"Pyro…that's a new one from you." He began pacing the room and looking out her windows scanning for trouble.

"It's your name isn't it?" she bit back, crossing her arms over her chest.

"True, but I thought you…miss happy world idealist wouldn't accept that fact." He stopped looking out the window and instead focused on her now closed eyes.

"The world isn't like that and you know it." Her eyes opened to find his smug attitude dropped and replaced with a strange seriousness.

Ignoring his stare she continued on in a defensive manner.

"The world thinks you're dead. The police are out looking to arrest anyone connected to the Brotherhood."

"They won't find too many of us left. Jean took care of that." He went back to staring out the window. Rogue propped herself to sit with her back against her bed with her legs straight out. She watched John closely. He seemed to take an interest to something outside her window.

"Have you been to see Magneto?" she asked straightforwardly. This caught his attention. Whipping his neck around he peered towards her.

"Wouldn't really be in my best interest to walk into an empty jail cell now would it? Do you really think the norms would let him live after everything?"

"You mean you don't know?" she shook her head and laughed a little.

"Don't know what?" he asked impatiently. The pyro walked to her side of the room and peered down at her.

Not looking at him Rogue said, "Magneto is alive… so he thinks you're dead and you thought he was dead. Wow, you both have a lot of faith in each other. Some 'brother'hood."

"How do I know this isn't some trick and you're not just leading me down a dead end?" Pyro waited with irritation.

"I saw him. Alive."

"He's been talking to you x-brats?"

"Well no, just me."

He looked shocked at that.

"I may have…encountered him on a non x-men related trip." John began to pace as if in deep thought. Rogue could tell that he must have been contemplating his allegiances.

After a moment of silence she spoke.

"Why are you here John?"

"John? Wow I thought I was Pyro to you." Even in the dark she could make out his lips twisting into a small sarcastic smile.

"Oh, shut up and answer the question."

She realized that the only time that she could see all his features was when the lightening would strike outside her window.

His head watched the lightening strike the sky once more and he made a decision. Hurrying over to Rogue he said, "I need you to help me get something."

"So that's why you came here. To raid us?"

"In a way. There are people out there that aren't happy with us running around. Some have been taking it into their own hands, which makes it a little hard to get supplies these days."

"Especially if you're on the most wanted list of mutant terrorists." She pressed while standing up to his height. "I'm not going to help you like this John. "

"Rogue," John tried.

She kept on ranting with her arms flailing, "You can't just come in here and expect me to help you. I may have felt responsible for you, but that was a long time ago and now you just…I can't believe you even thought that-"

He cut her off by grabbing her shoulders to stop her, "Rogue!

"What!?" She yelled which made him listen to see if anyone had come running to her room. She was still waiting for his response.

"There's a girl." She flinched out of his grasp completely and pushed away towards the door. She wasn't sure what to say. Images of John with some random mutant girl ran through her mind. He didn't care about anyone but himself and maybe Magneto. That's what she had thought.

Then she went to open the door. He rushed to stop her. As he put his hand on hers to stop her from reaching the knob she whirled around to punch him in the side. He keeled over. She didn't think that she had hit him that hard, but she saw blood running down his shirt and onto the carpet.

"Bitch." He muffled out as she stared down at him in a ready stance.

"Bastard." He smiled at that.

* * *

**A/N: So yeah I'm teasing a little bit with this seriously short chapter. I decided to rewrite some of the story that I had for chapts 4 & 5 so it's taken me a little longer to update. Sorry about that. Anyways, Chapter Five should be up soon since I am nearly done. I will try and make it A LOT longer than this one. Thanks to everyone reading!!**


	5. We Might As Well Be Strangers

**Spun**

**By Liz Wyatt**

_Thanks to my reviewers and readers! You all keep me going._

_CaptMacKenzie:I'm glad even if you're not a Ryro fan that you might still stick around. Trying something new is always good. Heh_

_Dan: sorry they couldn't jump each other's bones in the elevator for you. Glad you like it so far!_

* * *

**Chapter Five: We Might As Well Be Strangers**

_I don't know your face no more  
Or feel your touch that I adore  
I don't know your face no more  
It's just a place I'm looking for  
We might as well be strangers in another town  
We might as well be living in a different world  
We might as well  
We might as well  
We might as well_

_I don't know your thoughts these days  
We're strangers in an empty space  
I don't understand your heart  
It's easier to be apart_

_-Keane_

* * *

Rogue had watched John try to roll to his feet with no luck thus far. She was still leaning on the door, no intention of opening it just yet. With one foot pushing off the door and her arms crossed over her chest she peered down at his struggling form. 

Getting himself to his knees, but still holding the floor with one hand as the other circled his ribs he looked up at her with dark eyes.

"You must be loving this." He said through tight teeth.

"Sure. Why should I help you when you obviously don't need anyone but yourself?" Rogue retaliated.

"Nice. And here I thought all you X-men were about helping people."

"Are you calling yourself a person, because I thought you detested humans just like everyone else in the brotherhood."

"Not everyone is that way Roguey. I think humans are dumb, but they have their perks. Heck without my IPOD I'd probably have been lost. What you fail to realize is the difference between humans who add to our success and those that stand in the way."

"Because of course world domination is a success for everyone." She pushed off the door and stepped over his still crouched body. She walked towards the window, but she turned right towards her bathroom. With a click the light from her bathroom filled a corner of the dorm room. Rogue looked back at John to make sure he was still there.

"When I said our success I wasn't talking about just the brotherhood. All of us are in danger as long as we live in fear of humans."

Rogue disappeared into the light and when she reappeared. She had a small basket full of gauze and other first aid items.

"I thought you didn't fear anything." Rogue said harshly.

"I'm not afraid to use my powers, unlike you. I do however know the reality of the world right now. So you can stay cooped up in your precious school and play pretend, but I know what they do to us out there. Not everyone is as strong or trained as your prized x-men."

He managed to push off his knees, while still holding his ribs. Rogue rushed over as he was struggling. She grabbed behind his back and went under his free shoulder. There was a moment as she placed him to sit on the middle of her bed that they stared into each other's eyes. Realizing the uncomfortable air she sat on the end of her bed to fumble with gauze pads.

His breath had caught when she was close to him. Both of them understood that they hadn't talked in months and suddenly they were basically hugging.

* * *

If someone had told Rogue at dinner that tonight she'd be about to ask the enemy to lift his shirt up she would have laughed them off. The reality was making her nervous. 

"Take off your shirt." She said while not looking him in the eye.

"My, my you're very forward." His smug grin was back.

"Just do it John. I need to see what's got you bleeding all over my floor." He went to tug his jacket off. He succeeded in dropping the jacket to the floor, but as he went to pull his shirt off he struggled once it got to his ribs. He quickly hissed out in pain and dropped his shirt back to its original position.

Rogue knew what she had to do. Scooting closer as he began to grab the bottom of his shirt her hands swatted his.

"Just put your arms up." He eyed her curiously as she started to pull the shirt over his head and then off his arms.

Throwing his shirt onto the bed her eyes swept to his torso. Dark bruises lay across his ribcage. It looked like he had been kicked quite vigorously. Without thinking her hand reached out to touch the bruise. As her fingertips grazed the area, John hissed and grabbed that hand with his own. Immediately her eyes shot up to his face.

"Bar fighting again?" she tried to lighten the situation.

"You know me." He smirked.

She began to clean up the area without looking him in the face. She was focused on her task while taking in his breathing patterns as she noticed his chest rise and fall. When he began to talk to her again he shifted so she could have better access.

"Not that I mind you playing doctor Rogue, but it's not necessary. I really really need to leave before sunrise."

She knew he would be leaving. He had to. Rogue wasn't sure why but when he said those words her stomach dropped. Maybe it was that she missed her friend. Maybe it was that she knew he wasn't fairing well out in that real world of his as evident by his scars. Whatever the reason she knew that all she was doing by bandaging him up was prolonging the inevitable. So she quickly tried to finish. And with the last piece of gauze taped to his side she stood up and threw his shirt at him.

"You're right. You need to go, but that doesn't mean I'll help you steal supplies. I'll take you down to the door."

* * *

He had felt the change in her tone and had hoped that she would be more forgiving to him on the whole stealing thing, but he was wrong. 

Moving quickly through the hallway she chose to lead him down the main staircase, rather than walk by Kitty's room. This gave John more opportunity to get noticed by other people, but he figured if he walked fast enough he could get out without being seen.

Rogue went first down the old wooden staircase that creaked with each of her steps. As she approached the main door she looked back to see him sliding down the banister.

"You never change." She smiled a little.

"Hey, it's better than your enormous racket." He smiled too.

Then they both heard it. A door had closed down the left hallway. They froze. John turned to the right to head behind a pillar leading into the TV room. Rogue looked around debating whether to hide or stay put. What was the worst that this anonymous kid could do?

Then he came around the corner and Rogue found herself wishing that she had hid. It was a drenched Logan. She deduced that he had come in from the garage on the left wing of the school. At first he didn't notice her, but then her pink workout shirt was hard not to miss even with her black hoodie over it.

He looked at her confused and all she could say was, "oops. Umm this isn't my room." Rogue started walking towards the stairs.

Pyro rolled his eyes at her excuse. He noted that she was never very good at lying to Wolverine.

Logan stopped her in her tracks before she got to the stairs by saying, "that's your excuse?"

She turned to face him. "Well…"

"What are you doing out here this late kid?"

Rogue looked at her hands and realized she was still in her workout clothes. It clicked.

"I was working out downstairs and just, lost track of time. You know how it is in the basement so yeah. Off to bed. Night Logan." She tried to run for the stairs again.

"Listen Rogue I think we should talk before you go to bed."

She was hoping to avoid this conversation. Knowing that John was probably listening in made her want to converse even less.

"Logan, really we don't-"

But he cut her off, "what I was doing in the danger room was my problem that I am trying to deal with. You had nothing to do with it. When you came in… I thought you were in the program. You know, in my head."

"Logan I-"

He cut her off again, "I don't want you thinking any of it. All those things that happened on that island, who knows if you could have even made a difference. Just as long as you don't blame yourself than I know that we're okay. You and me, kid we have to be okay."

He sounded desperate and she had no clue why. Rogue knew that he only stayed at the school to watch out for her, but she had hoped that his reasons had changed. For his sake.

She realized that it was quite possible that he was feeling the same pain of losing a friend that she had been feeling for the past week when she thought that he had left.

"We're okay Logan." She smiled and a feeling of relief overcame her. She even almost forgot that John was hiding until Logan stopped and sniffed the air.

"Do you smell that?"

"Smell what?" Rogue was getting nervous now.

Logan looked around "it smells like smoke."

Ignoring another door closing from the left hallway, Rogue felt her chest begin to pound.

* * *

** AN: dun dun dun! so yeah another cliffish hangerish thing. Hope you liked the rewrite because my original chapter went in a completely wackyt and different direction before, but I think I like this better. Tell me what you think. I'll try and update soon. Thanks again for reading!**


	6. Perfect World

Spun

By Liz Wyatt

**Chapter 6: Perfect World **

_In a perfect world  
This could never happen  
In a perfect world  
You'd still be here  
And it makes no sense  
I could just pick up the pieces  
But to you  
This means nothing  
Nothing at all  
-Simple Plan_

* * *

"_Do you smell that?"_

"_Smell what?" Rogue was getting nervous now._

_Logan looked around "it smells like smoke."_

_Ignoring another door closing from the left hallway, Rogue felt her chest begin to pound._

* * *

Logan began moving around the room while keeping his head up to sniff. Rogue looked around frantically. She tried to come up with some excuse or reason in order to stop Logan.

"Logan!" he stopped and looked at her quizzically.

"umm, well…" she was stalling, hoping that some answer would just pop into her brain. Standing there with him in that moment she did not feel any good thoughts, but merely the pain of a headache from the events that had occurred so far.

She heard a squeak on the floor behind her and she whipped her head around, hoping against hope that John hadn't made the noise. What Rogue saw were the blue and pink Keds sneakers that were attached to a young girl with long light brown hair. She was holding a backpack and looking drenched from head to toe from the rain.

Rogue wasn't sure what to make of the girl, but Logan stopped his sniffing to approach the young child. The girl stared at Rogue's hair. Her eyes fixated on the white stripe and when the two caught eyes the younger girl smiled.

"You alright?" Logan said to the younger girl. The girl simply nodded her head.

"Logan…is there something you're not telling me?" Rogue crossed her arms in front of her chest to look as comfortable as possible.

"She ain't mine if that's what you're asking?" Rogue laughed slightly.

"I just meant, you recruiting for the school now?"

"Something like that. Found this one outside the gate, just waiting around in the rain. She hasn't exactly been too chatty."

The young girl was now staring past Rogue. Luckily Logan was looking down the other hallway so that Rogue could peer around. She saw John leaning out from behind a pillar. He was trying to mouth something. Rogue quickly realized he wasn't mouthing it to her. When Rogue saw him duck behind the pillar again she whipped her head around back to Logan.

"Hey, listen Logan. Why don't I get her cleaned up and dried off. You can go get some sleep." She had said it faster than she would have liked to; however the pounding in her ears had increased and all she wanted was to get out of this situation with the wolverine.

"fine by me." He walked up the stairs and once he had turned the corner Rogue approached the girl.

* * *

"So, you want some new clothes?" The girl nodded, but then ran towards John.

The girl immediately latched on to John's waist. He looked down at the girl and then back at Rogue.

"I told you to stay out of sight." John said to his new friend.

"I know. He found me anyways. He said he could smell my mum's vanilla scent."

"why do you carry that thing around with you? It's not like we need it." John said with a sigh.

Now Rogue understood, this girl was the one that John had tried to talk to her about when they were up in her room. This new information made Rogue feel a little better, but at the same time she wondered why the infamous loner Pyro was now toting a kid around.

She didn't realize how lost in her thoughts she was until she came back to focus and he was staring at her.

"so you going to introduce me?" Rogue asked, though her tone wasn't very nice. John looked like he was contemplating leaving the whole situation via the door.

"I'm Teva." The girl said quickly.

"Like the sandal?" Rogue replied.

"Alright, so I know you aren't very inclined to help me, but what about a kid?" John had stepped out in front of Teva.

"John, I have so many questions right now that I'm not sure you can even begin to answer them." Rogue shook her head.

He walked over to her and stood straight at eye level. "Rogue. Just this once, follow your gut and not your head. Kid. In need.

Rogue didn't say anything. She just walked over towards the kitchen. He waited in a bewildered state.

"are you coming or not? I can always call Logan to come back." she said exhausted over her shoulder.

* * *

Rogue packed up a backpack full of food all the while John sat on the countertop watching her.  
Teva was examining all the pictures on the wall of all the students.

"so is everyone here a mutant?" Teva asked.

"yep." Was Rogue's quick response.

"well, not everyone." John smirked.

Rogue tried to ignore him.  
"What do you mean? There are humans who actually like us?" Teva asked again.

Rogue zipped up the bag and shoved it into John's chest. "not every human is a threat. You can ignore anything John has told you otherwise."

"Pyro didn't tell me anything. I just know that humans don't want us around." Teva said matter o'factly.

Rogue knew that she already had this conversation with John, but she was hoping that Teva would be a little more understanding but the girl appeared to have the same flawed view that John did.

Rogue walked into the hallway and opened up the door to the laundry room. She took some clothes off a hanging rack and handed Teva a pile.

"here, change into these and take whatever you need." She also handed John a random shirt and he eyed her coldly.  
"I am not wearing HIS shirt."  
Rogue looked down to see that she had in fact pulled on of Bobby's polos off the rack.

"my mistake." She said simply.

The sun was beginning to come out and Rogue knew that if John was going to make a break for it this was his last chance.

"you need to go. The kids will be waking up soon." Rogue opened the front door to show him out.

Teva stopped in the doorway. "come with us."

John knew what Rogue's response would be, so he stepped through the passageway.  
"I can't."  
and there they were. The words she had recited.

She felt worried watching the pair walk off towards the gates. She wasn't worried that they would get caught on the grounds. This was a deeper feeling of dread.

* * *

**Author's Note: wow I'm not even sure this chapter is worth posting because it isn't as good as my previous ones. I hate stories that add new characters with little explaination and yet here I am writing one. I promise she won't get in the way too much. She's more a representation of something else.**

**Thank you to all my reviewers and the people who are still reading this story. I appreciate all your kind words. Especially, Unenlightened.**


	7. It's Too Late

**Spun**

**By Liz Wyatt**

**Chapter Seven: It's Too Late**

_Ride on, ride till early morning sun  
Ride on, like the dawning of the day  
It's too late, to let all your feelings show  
Go on, til the night is swept away  
-Evermore_

* * *

Rogue was woken up by a hard pound on her door. She heard Jubilee yelling her name, but she desperately tried to ignore the girl's high-pitched noise. That is until Jubilee said the words Storm. Pissed. Meeting.

Rogue quickly got dressed and tried to wash away her drooping eyelids.

Walking down the stairs she was surprised that all the students were gathered around the TV room. Logan was off in the hallway while Storm stood by the fireplace talking.

"Is it true? Is he really back?" Kitty's voice trailed out onto the staircase.

Rogue was suddenly very curious just what had everyone's attention. She walked towards the room, but before she entered her eyes caught Logan's. He motioned for her to come over to the hallway.

He had his arms crossed and a furrowed brow, which usually meant something, was up.

"Logan what the heck is going on?" Rogue asked dumbfounded.

"The professor isn't dead." Logan said it so simply that Rogue wasn't sure if her friend understood what this news meant.

"But how? I mean Jean…" at the use of her name Logan flinched and quickly responded.

"Apparently the professor's got himself trapped up in a new body. Transferred his mind into some coma patient."

"Is he coming here?" Rogue leaned against the doorframe to look in on the other students.

Logan leaned on the other side and said, "he will be coming back to stay, but no word if he's going to up and running. Not like he's going to tell the news stations that he's come back from the dead. Especially looking completely different."

Rogue tried to wrap her mind around all this. She wondered how the professor could even know how to transfer his mind into someone else's body. She also wondered why Logan was as happy as all the students. Storm seemed to be off as well with this news. Rogue assumed that Storm was probably nervous about what the professor would do in terms of chain of command and with the school now.

Rogue had been listening so closely that she missed Kitty staring at her. When she finally noticed neither girl wanted to fake a smile for the other. As soon as the meeting was over Kitty quickly filed out and came around the corner. Rogue caught on to her intent and tried to walk further down the hallway, but Kitty grabbed her by the elbow and pulled Rogue into a classroom.

"Okay about Bobby-" Rogue started, but Kitty cut her off.

"This isn't about Bobby." Kitty said in a hushed voice.

"Oh." Rogue sat on a desk and watched Kitty staring her down. After a few awkward moments of silence Rogue pressed further, "well not that I don't enjoy this but is there an actual reason why you pulled me in here?"

Kitty eyed her closely while saying, "Last night I heard some noise in the hallway. I ignored it the first time, but then I opened my door to see you walking down the hall with a former friend of ours."

Rogue felt as though she had been sucker punched. How was she meant to respond to this news? She wondered if Kitty had told anyone already.

"I'm not sure what you think you saw-" Rogue began, but Kitty cut her off once again.

"I know what I saw!" then Kitty lowered her voice, "I didn't tell anyone because I figured you should be the one to do that. Just answer me this, have you been keeping him here in secret? Is that why you haven't been hanging around Bobby?"

Rogue stood up from the desk and looked down at Kitty. "I am being completely honest with you here Kitty. Last night was the first and probably the last time that John will be coming back here. I didn't know he was coming and he didn't come here for me." She then paused to let that sink into Kitty's head before continuing on, "and the reason I have been avoiding Bobby is because it's all too complicated… I know you like him Kitty."

Kitty tried to cut in but Rogue wouldn't let her this time. "Please don't pretend that you don't. I am sorry about this whole situation. I don't blame you for this. Bobby is going to go on what he feels. Please don't take out your hate of me by telling anyone about what you saw last night. The two have no connection and there doesn't need to be one."

Kitty was at a loss for words. Rogue looked for confirmation that Kitty understood, but the girl began walking towards the door.

"Rogue, I won't tell anyone but John wouldn't risk coming here unless he had a plan. That or he was desperate enough to do it. And just for the record…I never hated you. I hate being caught up in all this." With that she walked out into the hallway.

Rogue tried to replay their conversation. She knew now that Kitty and her would never be best friends, but they could at least stop pretending to be naïve to the other.

* * *

Rogue tried to go about her day as normal as possible. She sat in classes even though she was nearly graduated. Logan had told her before the fight that she should just skip out on the last term and look at colleges. College seemed so far away now, which was ironic because as a new human girl college should have been her main focus.

Instead Rogue was plagued by barely boyfriend bobby and friend/enemy Pyro aka John. It seemed that whatever changed in her life this internal triangle would not budge.

Storm found Rogue a bit after dinner. Rogue was sitting on a bench next to a few oak trees. Storm sat down slowly next to the younger girl.

"You alright Rogue?" Storm asked. Rogue almost blurted out all her musings because she was so fed up with it all, but she restrained herself.

"Yeah. Peachy keen."

Storm shifted to look at Rogue's face. "I know that you and I haven't talked much since everything happened… since you took the cure." Rogue felt as though Storm had to force herself to say the last part. As though Rogue's choice had been painful for everyone but the choice maker. Rogue was silent, waiting to see where Storm was going with her speech.

"I was told that the kids have been giving you a rough time and I just wanted to clear everything up."

"Logan told you that?" Rogue mused.

"Well, Logan really doesn't have to do with this. I just wanted to talk to you face to face about what I heard."

Rogue was getting frustrated. This was the second vague conversation that she had walked into today so she could feel herself getting angrier.

"If you are talking to me as the head of the school I will tell you that your students are behaving as they should. I think some of them fear me from before and others are scared that I'm going to rat them out to the humans or something. Either case you don't need to be involved. Whatever Logan has told you is his understanding of it all. I, on the other hand am just fine."

Storm looked like she wanted to press on, but Rogue cut her off.

"I really need to get back inside." And with that Rogue stood up and left the bench.

* * *

She decided that the best way to deal with her day was to work it out in her newfound therapy. Changing into sweatpants and a cami, Rogue walked into the Danger Room. A program had already been left up; so Rogue ventured further to see if anyone was still in the room. Avoiding flying flaming cars Rogue ducked behind a steel structure.

It was then that she saw Bobby standing face to face with John. Then realization hit Rogue that she was back in Logan's simulation because this was the battle all over again. With that in mind Rogue desired nothing but to get out of the room before Logan noticed. Moving a ways she was still trying to avoid falling debris. She watched as Bobby hit John left and right until John was bleeding all over his face. The John simulation stared at Rogue. She looked behind her to see what John could have been looking at, but saw nothing there. Bobby peered over at her and softening his contorted face he yelled over the noise, "rogue? What are you doing here? Program End."

Rogue stepped back a bit as the walls began to fade away until she was left in the empty room. Empty except for Bobby who stood there staring her down before approaching.

"So you come down here to beat up a John simulation?" The words were out of her mouth before she could think.

"What? No. I mean yes because I need to train and going over my mistakes are helpful."

"Mistakes? Like leaving him there to die?" Rogue crossed her arms.

Bobby rolled his eyes and sighed, "this again?"

After a long pause Rogue replied coldly, "you done?"

"No! Dammit Rogue you have to stop fighting with me about Pyro! He's gone! Done! Dead! And you know what I'm glad because this image of a friend that you have in your mind of him was dead long before that. You have to know that if he came back here today, alive and regretful that it would all still be a game to him. He'd play us the same way he did before. He can't be trusted." Rogue let Bobby's words sink in.

"I actually meant, were you done with the room…" she said quietly.

He looked like a deer caught in headlights. She had to control an inappropriate laughter that was building in her throat. Even with all the truth about John that Bobby had said Rogue always knew she couldn't trust the Pyro. He was too slick for his own good.

* * *

Hours later Rogue had fought her way from level 1 to level 10. Using her palm to break her opponents nose before aiming a side kick to his legs, Rogue was caught off guard when the alarm began to sound and the door flew open. Colossus told the program to end and he looked at Rogue as she ran to him.

"What's going on?"

"Storm went to pick up the professor with Logan about an hour ago and then the alarm sounded. I tried to contact her, but she isn't responding."

Rogue ran into uniform room. Bobby was already there with Kitty suiting up.

"What are you doing?" Rogue asked breathlessly as her heart began to pound with the sounding alarm ringing in her ears.

"What does it look like? We are getting ready to go." Bobby said coldly.

"Storm still isn't responding and it says that Logan has his communicator turned off." Colossus stated.

"Maybe I can bypass the communicator into the car radio." Rogue said quickly. Kitty looked perplexed. "I've been spending too much time down here." Rogue smiled.

It felt good to be useful.

"Fine. Do it. Let them know that the Kitty and I are going to check it out."

"In the jet?" Kitty asked.

"No, we'll take my car. Unless you know how to fly that thing?" Bobby laughed towards Kitty.

She didn't laugh. "Well no I don't."

"I'm going with you. I can send get them the location better if I do it from the actual place." Rogue opened up her uniform case.

"I don't think so. We have no idea what we are walking into." Bobby said firmly.

"More the reason for me to go don't you think. Peter can stay here and hold down the fort."

"This is a mutant problem, otherwise it wouldn't be sounding that alarm. Just let us deal with it and do your little tech thing here." Bobby continued. Kitty cringed in preparation for Rogue's rebuttal.

"Are you saying because it's a 'mutant problem' that it's not within my abilities!?" Rogue let her anger show.

"I'm saying that there is no need to put you out there when we don't need you -"

Kitty cut him off, "-I think Bobby means when we need you here."

"No, I know what Bobby means." Rogue had only enough time to change into leather pants when she rushed to follow them out into the garage.

"I'm not letting you in this car Rogue." Bobby said as he slid in and shut the door. Kitty gave Rogue one last glimpse before she too slipped in the seat. The engine roared and they were off.

"What are you going to do now?" Peter asked.

Rogue slipped on her ribbed leather jacket over her white cami and pushed a motorcycle off blocks.

"What do you think I'm going to do now?" She sat on the ninja bike and glanced over at him as she turned on the engine.

"Patch the signal through to my bike consul and I'll transmit it." She said.

Peter nodded. "He may not know it yet but they do need you."

"I know." She smiled before speeding out into the night.

* * *

Pulling into the city Rogue was tracking Bobby's car. She paused when she saw flames enveloping an apartment building in the blocks up ahead. She heard loud crashes as a few motorcycles roared in a distance. Rushing to the edge of the street she stopped to send the signal out on her bike. Getting it ready to send she glanced up to see a crowd beating someone in a circle. She also saw two mutants she had heard were called Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch fighting Bobby and Kitty.

Hearing her bike beep for her to send the signal she started to peer down but a loud bang and flames exploding caused her to stop.

Then she heard one of the men in the circle say, "get his lighter!"

* * *

**A/N:** wow another chapter up and you didn't have to wait months and months. I got inspired, but this one was to set up future events. Sorry about the lack of Pyrolove, but trust me he is still out there!

Quick Shout Outs go to my incredible reviewers!

_Unenlightened: _You are too kind! I'm so glad that someone appreciates John's trickier ways in using the kid. Wasn't sure how much people caught in how I write, but it's good to know that you do!

_Wanda W:_ Don't worry Teva and Pyro will be back, but you'll just have to wait and see what hoopla he is causing. I do hope that this fic can be a bit realistic because the characters were always meant to be relatable in X-men in general. At least that is what I think.

_Shadowkeyu_: like you I have read MANY Pyro fics and some I loved, some I wondered why I was even bothering. Needless to say I was a bit worried with doing one myself. Ryro fans (as I can relate) have strong opinions on their relationship, friendship, etc. I'm happy you like this one so far!

_Sarahroseserena: _your comment was like a kick in the ass, in a good way. I mean to say that the end of your comment made me think, oh yeah I got to get on that. So thanks!

And to _hughslilboo1969, MythStar Black Dragon, weebird_, and anyone I missed I adore you all for commenting because that it SERIOUSLY what keeps me wanting to write. Much love for you all!


	8. Chasing Pavements

**Spun**

**By Liz Wyatt**

**Chapter Eight: Chasing Pavements**

_Should i give up,_

_Or should i just keep chasing pavements?_

_Even if it leads nowhere,_

_Or would it be a waste?_

_Even If i knew my place should i leave it there?_

_Should i give up,_

_Or should i just keep chasing pavements?_

_Even if it leads nowhere_

_-Adele_

* * *

'It was all happening so fast' Rogue thought afterwards. Right now she didn't know if she was still breathing. Looking around the room she peered over at the sleeping form on the bed. Even with the single lamp to see in the darkness she knew that he was struggling. It had taken a good fight out of her.

She was sure that Bobby had been shocked. She'd shocked herself.

Four hours ago Rogue was caught up at the scene of a horrible fire that was quickly spreading throughout an apartment building.

Rogue was only on the scene to relay a signal to the figures who should have really been there.

It wasn't the fire or the fact that Bobby and Kitty were now pinned to the wall of another building by former brotherhood members or that she was running against that clock that got her heart pumping. It was the scene where five men had another person held down on the ground.

She knew it before she got to the circle that her next move was stupid. She didn't even have powers anymore, but here she was rushing to aid the enemy once again.

Her first thought was to look for Teva in the mass of people, but luckily she appeared to be away from the circle. Rogue wasn't sure if that was good or bad in the long run.

Bobby saw Rogue running. She was amazed that he had the time to sock a punch into Quicksilver's face and then turn towards her direction to yell.

"Rogue! I told you NOT to come!" his voice disappeared into her mind. Although she had the inclination to flick him off for the first time in her life, she let it go.

* * *

John had clearly heard her name, although the men still were unphased. Rolling to his side, he shook his head against the pavement in disbelief.

"I got his lighter!" a young guy with a Nirvana t-shirt was now grinning and waving the lighter above his head to show the others.

John managed to kick his leg up into the guy's chest thus causing him to heave over and throw the lighter in Rogue's direction.

She picked it up as the spun around to fetch the item.

Holding it in her hand she stared them down.

"well what do we got here boys? Lady want to join on in the fun?" this man's voice caused Rogue to shiver in disgust.

"sorry, but I'm not really into kicking someone while their down." The man's face changed into a hard stare.

"so you must be one of them." It wasn't a question.

"One of what?" she asked.

"a mutant." Then it happened. He ran at her and she had to restart her heart. She'd lost some of her courage from the run over until now.

She tried to punch his face, but he used his big right hook to hit her stomach. She felt the blow throw her onto her back.

"Dammit Rogue!" John yelled in a frustrated tone as he tried to get to his feet quickly.

* * *

This was not how she wanted to start out. She could see the man rushing with his leg up to quick her face and then she closed her eyes, took a breath, and saw everything in slow motion. She could hear Peter's voice in her head. 'they'll fight dirty. Don't be scared because this means you have the advantage. Dirty means reckless. They'll expose themselves to you. Get ready. Get set. Go!" her back arched and her feet pushed her off the ground. As she swept up she caught the man's foot in her hands. She used the momentum to twist her body one way and his foot the other. She heard a snap and he went spinning to the ground beside her.

Two came at her now and she jumped to fling her feet into their throats. One crumpled to the ground and the other staggered a bit before rubbing his neck and charging again with the pipe he had been hitting John with.

Rogue tried to bend her knee to pull it up and push her leg out when he got close, but he swing too quick and smashed the pipe into her forearm. She cried out as it impacted, but she quickly flipped to the other side and kicked his kneecap straight on. It broke back in the other direction with a severe crunch.

Holding her arm and gritting her teeth she saw that she only had two left. Then she heard Bobby and Kitty running to the scene. They stopped at the body of the first man.

"Rogue! What happened!?" Kitty yelled, but she distracted Rogue long enough for the last two to get the upper hand. One grabbed Rogue from behind and put her in a head lock. She could feel her air escaping quickly now, but as she struggled it only made him hold on to her stronger.

"so what kind of mutant thing you got. Ability to be a real bitch?" she felt him laugh because his chest was arching her back so that her throat would be caught.

Bobby raised his hands and Kitty's eyes widened.

"Bobby! No!" but it was too late he had already shot out and frosted the guys arm to her neck.

"Bobby! Now she really can't breathe!" Kitty yelled, although her yell was actually a lot kinder than Rogue's would have been.

The man was struggling as he freaked out. He was almost trying to pull away his frozen arm as hard as he had been holding on. Rogue had to think quick. Bobby's expression was pure terror. Kitty was trying to fight the forgotten man who was kicking John.

Rogue saw Kitty get hit into a pile of trashcans, but Bobby was still trying to figure out what to do with Rogue. He was trying to rip away the ice.

Even as the dark spots started to cover her eyesight, Rogue reached in her pocket to slide the lighter across the bloodied ground and into the waiting hands of the only one who could save her now.

John struggled to his feet and charged towards her direction. Bobby was too freaked out to be aware that John was roaring at him to help Kitty.

John pumped the flame into his hands. Rogue was sure that his grinning face was going to be the last thing she saw.

* * *

Then she was free, and falling. He caught her as she fell forward aiming to the ground. She heard the man screaming out in pain from behind her. John's legs collapsed as well as he caught her waist and supported her head against his chest. She saw that the man who had been holding her was wailing around…and on fire.

Now wasn't the time for her to lecture him.

Bobby had managed to cool the flames on the burning man and with a disgusted look he turned towards John with Rogue on him. Kitty had fought her attacker off and was running in the same direction.

"Rogue, you okay!?" Kitty was out of breath and searching up and down Rogue's body for signs of trauma. Kitty glanced at John, but could tell that he was exhausted.

They all seemed to forget the burning building in the process as it was only now that they heard the firengine's sirens and see water hoses thwarting the inferno.

"You start that?" Rogue whispered so only John could hear.

"Would you believe me if I said no?" He smiled slightly.

As Rogue shifted to get to her feet she saw John do the same. Now they were all standing and Bobby made a move to grab John. He got a hold of John's jacket thrust the Pyro up a bit.

"you're supposed to be dead!" Bobby yelled.

"Sorry to disappoint." John was smirking and this only fueled Bobby's anger. The ice man looked ready to tear the Pyro's head off.

Rogue stepped him and shoved both of them apart. She turned to face Bobby as she pressed her hands hard into his chest. His eyes were wild and he barely registered that she was there until she was yelling in his face.

"Hey! Quit it!" Bobby pushed Rogue violently aside. She lost her balance and fell. Kitty rushed to help her, but Rogue swat at her helping hands as she was more than capable to lift herself up.

"nice one. Gonna push around your girlfriend?" John taunted. "or is it the kitty cat now? Do you always beat up the good ones because you know that they talk back?" Bobby was about to run at John and once again Rogue was there.

"move!" Bobby roared as he waited for her to leave her place. Kitty watched with wide eyes as Bobby put his hands on Rogue's shoulders to move her. Overhead the x-wing was landing on a building. They all felt the rush of wind. In that moment the only sound that broke from the wind was a bang from the impact of Rogue's fist crossing into Bobby's cheek.

He staggered and Kitty rushed to wrap her arms around Bobby's arm and shoulder. Rogue stood there infuriated.

"You. Are not. The boss. You are not even the leader! And THIS, right here, right now is why! You can not see past yourself and until you do…you'll never be as good as Cyclops. So stop trying to be better than you are." Her words were meant to cut him in the way she wanted to.

* * *

She heard the cops coming down the alley and Kitty was leading Bobby back to the car.

Rogue was running towards her bike as she saw Logan and Storm approaching Bobby's car. Storm seemed to be talking to Bobby and Kitty as she looked quizzically in Rogue's direction. She slipped onto the Bike and started the engine. She was about to rush off, but she saw John stumbling towards another alley way. She road over and stopped to cut him off. He leaned against the brick wall.

"John. You can't just walk off. You're in bad shape."

"eh, I've had worse." He laughed but ended up coughing deep in his chest.

"where's Teva?" she asked. His eyes changed and for the first time she thought that he was panicking. "John?"

"she ran. I told her to go to the tiki cup motel."

"Fine." She stated and after a pause she added, "hop on."

* * *

**A/N:** Hey so I know it's a bit of a short chapter update, but I wrote this quickly so I could continue. And I HAD to add some good Rogue ass kicking because let's face it she really didn't do it in the movies and yet she's tough in the comics. Sorry if Bobby is a little too whiney. That's the way I see him in the movies though. Correct me if I'm wrong. I also hated making Kitty kind of be 'okay' with how Bobby was acting, but she's still confused here so whatever… Hope you like. Next chapterthe hotel room and some old friends stirring up the past.

**Thank you again to my REVIEWERS!!**

_Sarahroseserena: _once again, a nice kick.

_Unenlightened:_ this chapter of crazy bobby is for you. Haha Thanks for the advice on pimping out the story. Not sure where I'd even begin, but I might look into that.

1_3Skylar:_ well I am right there with you. I hate when people rush into the relationship. You can blame it on my slow writing, but I don't seem to rush it. Though some people would prefer I wrap them up in a room and let them at each other.

_Hughslilboo1969:_ hope you got your wish

_Wanda W: _Yet again you grasp at all my little writer's points that I figure no one would. Sooooo I'm happy!

_Dulcesweet:_ it's all good as long as you like what you're reading then I'm pleased. Hope you like the hint of Ryro here, but don't worry it's coming!


	9. Better Than Love

**Spun**

**By Liz Wyatt**

**Chapter Nine: Better Than Love**

_Sometimes dreams they don't come true_

_I was scared that night when I met you_

_Well I stayed patient and I stayed kind_

_Telling you to take your time_

_Turn my life around_

_You made it okay to let you down_

_There's no one else in the world_

_-Griffin House_

* * *

The monitor on her bike kept sending out loud noises as Logan continued to call Rogue. Eventually she had to bring the bike indoors. Luckily they were on the first floor of the motel so getting the bike inside wasn't too much trouble. Her biggest problem came when she was bending forward to yank the remaining back end of the bike through the door's threshold and the beeper went off.

The form on the bed was immediately running towards her in a fit or anger. Even with the loud noise so close to her ears, Rogue could make out his swearing. Scrambling to fix the problem she yanked harder, but it would not budge over the metal doorframe.

Then he was there next to her. His arms stretched across one of her own while the other pushed the wheels tilted up. They got the bike through the door and he shut the door. Rogue scanned through the wires trying to remember which one controlled the volume. John simply ripped the pile out of the consol. immediately the screen went blank and the noise stopped.

"Well I could have done that." Rogue said with irritation behind her voice. She hadn't slept since the night before. She never expected to be hauled up in a motel with the X-men's most wanted.

He simply smirked and eased back down onto the bed. He had his arms behind his head and was continuing to stare at her.

Rogue sat on the edge of the bed, facing the window instead of his face.

"You know staring out the window isn't going to do you any good. You could sleep. You did get in a fight and I'm sure that was probably your first serious one.

She hated how he could tell. Was she always that obvious? Rogue decided it had to be John's personality because no one else seemed to be able to read her the same way that he could. She hated and loved this fact. At the moment it bugged her that he could call her out on her feelings; however, when they had been friends she appreciated his honesty to Bobby's cautious approach that usually ended in lies anyways.

"Aren't you a little worried about Teva?" Rogue asked coldly.

"Sure I am, but the kid has got a brain Rogue. She'll show up here soon enough, don't worry."

"How can you say that!?" She was standing now and facing his body dead on. He shifted from his relaxed position to eye her more closely. "John, she is just a kid."

"Rogue, she's also a mutant. She's smart too. Teva ran away from that scene because I told her to. Trust me she didn't do it willingly."

"What the hell happened back there?" he motioned for her to come to his side of the bed. She walked around the front and sat promptly on the corner as he shifted his legs and sat up to look at her.

"I don't know how, but these humans seem to be finding us. We hide in abandoned apartment buildings for the most part, but somehow they keep coming. It's like they have some scanner or something for our kind. When I met Teva she was with her mom. I was just passing through, you know me and kids…not really a match. So I ignored them and did my own thing until the humans came. I tried to fight them off, but they had weapons. Now guns, I can handle. But this was different. They had these guns that emitted some sort of shock or something. Jist of it is that this shock stuns your powers and that's when they attack."

Rogue sat there trying to take all the information in. A cold chill ran up her back just thinking about the guns that John was describing. If they existed that meant that the humans were planning to fight back. It also meant that someone in the government was supplying the weaponry because the local bums couldn't afford that artillery without being high-class citizens.

"hey, you still in there?" John was waving his hand in front of her face. Rogue snapped out of her thoughts and stared into his eyes.

"why didn't you just tell me all that when we were back at the mansion?"

"what? Tell you that some nasties are under my bed and I need my mommy to come and take them out?"

"it wouldn't have been like that. You're not any less for needing help you know. Sometimes people aren't okay on their own."

"maybe you aren't, but I am just fine."

"yeah, picking up stray kids and then leaving them when you set your home on fire. You are…just fine." She stood up and began pacing back and forth in the room.

"You think I set that place on fire!?" he was standing as well and he was definitely not happy with her as she could tell from the change in his eyes. When he became truly upset his eyes had a way of shifting to be darker. She wondered if that was for any intense feeling or only when he got mad.

"oh, come on John you have the power to do just that. Maybe you didn't mean to…maybe it was an accident…"

"it was NO accident! Those humans set the spark because they figured we'd all be inside. I was trying to control the flame, but they got me from behind. So next time you go accusing someone of something they didn't do, you should get a little proof." And under his breath, just loud enough for her to hear if she strained to listen he said, "No wonder Bobby went crazy."

That did it. She was trying to throw a punch at him and he caught her wrist. Her left arm came up but he grabbed that too. Now they stood facing each other, his hands holding her wrists level with her chest. His eyes staring deep into hers.

"I hate you." She seethed.

"mutual." He smiled, which sent another round of chills down her spine. She felt her heart begin to beat faster as his fingers pressed and released over and over again against her wrists. Rogue knew that he was trying to debate within his own mind on what to do next.

"will you let go now?" she said through clenched teeth.

"do really hate me? More than ice balls?" he said it so normal that she wondered if he understood that there was a fire building inside of her. Her knees were twitching to flip into his groin and run.

"I think you're even now."

"good. Wouldn't want him feeling inadequate or anything." His voice was too light for Rogue's liking.

"let go." She tried to rip her arms back. Her body heaving over as her feet pushed back to create distance.

"no."

"let go!" Rogue had enough. She went to knee him, but her eyes must have given her away because his leg swiped hers away.

"hey! No fair kicking a guy down there. It's cheap." He stated as his eyes shifted once again. She understood that the fire was coming back for him as well.

"you play dirty, I'll play the same." She struggled once again and he was getting tired of fighting her.

"fine." He let go of her wrists, but she drew her right hand back ready to strike and he missed her smile as it collided with his jaw. He was back up in no time.

John flew across the room and knocked her into the wall. Her hands were raised and secured above her head. Her back was flat with the wood.

"what now genius?"

Rogue realized taunting him was not her best idea because immediately a fire danced in his pupils and his head launched forwards. Expecting a head butt of some form she closed her eyes and prepared herself, but it never came. Instead his mouth pressed, cutting into hers. At first she felt him only on the center of her lips, but soon he was rushing to pound into her mouth.

Rogue didn't know how she was supposed to react. No one had kissed her since Bobby. Before they broke up. Before she took the cure. Before it was safe.

She stood there for a second trying to clear her head, to be rational, but soon her body was reacting with a force all it's own. She curled her fingertips over to rest on his knuckles. Her back arched to meet his chest and her head swept to control the lips that were attacking her own.

Slowly she felt his hands guiding hers down the wall until they were level with her head.

Speaking of her head, Rogue was swimming. Too many thoughts about John, the situation, his allegiances, her deserter status, and Teva all rushed through with no filter. John's kiss was killing her. He had let up on the force, but she knew that he could never be as light as Bobby was.

Then her brain caught up with her as pounding came from the motel door. She realized what she was doing and who exactly had his arms wrapped around her.

Pushing him away quickly and staring in disbelief at his swollen lips she ran to the door. Throwing it open she ignored John's words of warning to wait and see who it was. The second she opened it she regretted the action.

Now she was trapped with two enemies in a very small motel room.

* * *

**A/N: **so here you guys go a bit of Ryro smut in there. It HAD to happen! Sorry it's a really short chapter. I did have more ideas, but I wanted to get this up. Sorry it took me a while to update, but I've been busy with work and I recently read Twilight for the first time and instantly got way too hooked. Meaning, I plowed through New Moon as well and so I neglected you all. I also updated my youtube channel with 3 new vids for Clois, Zach/Claire, and Buffy so I've been busy there too. Hope this update is to you liking as I didn't quite resolve the Teva thing. Hopefully I will update soon!

Thanks once again to my beautiful reviewers! I don't have enough time to thank you individually right now, but you know how I feel! Keep reading!


	10. In This Life

**Spun**

**By Liz Wyatt**

_**Chapter Ten: In This Life**_

_I was nurtured I was sheltered_

_I was curious and young_

_I was searching for that something_

_Trying to find it on the run_

_Oh and just when I stopped looking_

_I saw just how far I'd come_

_In this life_

_In this life_

_You give me love_

_You give me light_

_Show me everything that's been happening_

_I've opened up my eyes_

_I'm following_

_Three steps fight an honest fight_

_Two hearts that can start a fire_

_One love is all I need_

_In this life_

_-Delta Goodrem_

* * *

She knew that she shouldn't be sacred, he was defenseless of course. She'd come face to face with him before, but something wouldn't stop punching her insides.

"Rogue, how nice of you to join us. I thought you would be back at the mansion with the big news and everything."

Her throat was dry. Her hands balling into fists, ready to pounce. Yet she stayed mute in the door frame.

"I thought…I mean she said you survived, but I didn't believe her." John was staring at the doorway with disbelief. Rogue wasn't sure if it was happiness or pure confusion that crossed his features. The lines these days seem to be getting crossed more often.

"well don't be too surprised my boy. After all one must never assume that things are really what they appear to be." He had said it to John, but he eyes trailed over to Rogue who simply took a step back as he pushed his way in. The door shut.

"How'd you find me?" John said simply. No emotion behind the statement. The soldier seemingly returning.

"I've been tracking your movements for the past few days. This girl peaked my interests in finding you, as she seemed so determined that you had been lost in battle. I knew I had to prove her wrong once again. Besides…" he drew the last lines out with a glance back at Rogue. "It's time to get back to business."

She couldn't hold in her emotion any longer.

"Business being murdering hundreds of people, right?"

He smiled. "All for the greater good my dear."

"Oh can it Magneto, you and I both know that there is nothing remotely good in your teachings. What you're working for is insanity. Although I am curious what they would think of a measly human like yourself taking them on." She laughed a little at the thought. She peered at John to get confirmation, but saw that his loyalty appeared to be in tact…just not towards her.

"You're right Rogue. I had to sit back and watch the humans create weapons to use upon my people. I had to watch politicians try and change their laws, not to include us, but to destroy our numbers. Now, I am finally able to do something about it."

"What changed?" she asked.

He smiled once again, which only added to the queasiness in Rogue's stomach.

He didn't answer her.

"You tracked me down. What do you need?" John cut through the silence.

"I need you to locate the originals. You will find many have been living in the same building together, though a few have chosen to go their own roots. They need a leader once again. While I will be waiting to take that lead, I need you to organize them."

Rogue wasn't sure if Magneto was stupid or not because he seemed to be laying down his plan right in front of her. Not that it mattered; she didn't understand how he expected the other brotherhood members to respect him as a human. Although John seemed to be ready to accept Magneto back with open arms, no matter his status. A part of her admired that John didn't have prejudice towards humans as much as she thought, but another part of her wondered if he was having a difficult time squaring away his old feelings from hers and Magneto's new status as humans.

She realized that she was still clutching her fingers into a ball when she felt blood trickle from her palm. She unravelled her hand to see that one of her fingernails had pierced her skin. John looked at her bewildered before turning to Magneto.

"What…what about Rogue?"

"Don't worry I'm relying on her telling her little X-mates, but not until later."

"What do you mean, not until later?" Rogue asked panicked. She knew that she could fight Magneto off if she really needed to, but getting through John was another matter.

"You see Rogue, if you had stayed at home and let my boy go it would have been a lot easier for you. Now, you have a choice. Come with us now and be blindfolded or stay here."

"What do you think I'm going to pick!" she was beginning to bubble over with anger. "John, don't be stupid. Let's just go…you and me. We'll find Teva and –"

"No." Magneto cut her off. "You will play by my rules Rogue. I enjoy your struggle to divide your friends and loyalties; however, I can't allow you to disturb my plans."

John looked at her and then Magneto.

"Fine. But I am not letting you mess with his mind any longer." Rogue started moving towards Magneto, fists at the ready. As she jumped to kick she found her boot caught in midair, suspended. Her eyes became wide with confusion, and then understanding. Before she could say anything she found leg being shoved to the ground and a pressure came from the zippers. It wasn't like the crushing sensation that she had met from him a few years earlier; however, she still couldn't fight it. Preparing to bend over and shove her boots off, she felt her necklace pushed in the opposite direction, chocking her. She backed up to the wall before the ice bucket from the hotel room was aimed for her head. Falling to the ground, she found her body trapped by the bike that she had worked so hard to pull inside. As it crashed to the ground, she hit her head on the baseboard of the wall.

The last image that crossed her eyes was that of Magneto heaving on the bed, clearly worn out.

In the back of her mind she thought that she had heard John yell her name, but she figured she must have imagined it.

* * *

Waking up, she clutched her head as she rolled to disentangle herself from the bike. She was on her feet slowly when she realized that she was alone. Panic once again took over as she tried to lift the bike to the upright position.

She began to roll it towards the door. As she moved the bike outside and shut the door she saw a figure come out from the shadows across the parking lot.

It was Teva.

"Teva! Are you okay!? What happened to you?" Rogue was rushing to the girl as she walked slowly towards Rogue.

"I'm fine. Where's Pyro?"

Rogue dropped to her knees to inspect the girl further, just to make sure. "What? Oh, John…he had to leave."

"Leave!? Where did he go?" Teva was looking in all directions, as if she could find him there.

Rogue tried to think of the best way to break the news to Teva. She was still trying to figure out what she was going to say when she got back to the mansion.

"I don't know where he went. There was a man that he knew…they left a while ago."

"a man?" Teva's eyes darkened and Rogue couldn't understand why, but it frightened her. "was it him? Was it Magneto?"

"how do you-" but Teva cut her off.

"It doesn't matter. What are you doing now?"

Rogue stood up and backed away a little. She didn't know what Teva's powers were. John never seemed to bring them up. Whatever they were Rogue felt as though she didn't want to find out. This girl seemed so different from the girl whom Rogue had met in the mansion. Maybe Teva was just upset with all the fighting and John seemingly deserting her.

"I need to get back home. There is a man there who can find John and I need to tell my friends what is going on."

"a man who can find John? How is that possible?" Teva asked quietly.

"It's hard to explain. The point is he's the head of our team in a way and although I'm not even sure if he's back for good…I just need to see what they can do." Rogue was rambling now, more to herself then to Teva. She was trying to slow the massive race that her heart had begun.

She walked over to her bike and got on. Teva waited as if for confirmation for what she probably already knew. Rogue nodded to Teva and then to the space behind her on the bike. "Come on kiddo."

Teva smirked at that.

* * *

Pulling up to the gates of Xavier's Institute she was surprised to find them open. Moving up the driveway she parked the bike in front of the closed garage. Rogue got off the bike and moved towards the side door, Teva followed without a word.

Rogue opened the door and was surprised to see students running through the hallways quickly. Normally this would be typical during school hours, but it was almost bedtime for the younger students. This much noise was no normal.

She found herself pressing on with more urgency. She rounded the corner into the main hallway. There she was able to see that some of the kids were congregated in the main foyer. Storm was trying to push her way through the kids who were swarming her with cries and questions. Rogue couldn't hear what they were saying for sure because too many people were talking at once.

Rogue glanced back at Teva. The younger girl was glancing everywhere around them, inspecting the trail that they had just come as if someone was going to appear out of thin air. Rogue stared at her with confusion, but before she could question Teva she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Rogue quickly spun around and backed up into the wall. Feeling her already pained head crash into wood she couldn't help but wince.

"Oh my gosh, are you okay!? Everyone has been looking for you!"

"I'm fine Jubes. Just got a little off track. Where's the professor?"

Jubilee didn't seem to be convinced by Rogue's lame attempt to act as though her treason wasn't anything more than a misunderstanding. Rogue wondered what Bobby and Kitty had told the others. She forgot in all the hysteria that she might be considered their enemy now for helping John and leaving the others behind.

"He's up in his study with Wolverine. Things are beyond crazy. I thought…I thought you'd been kidnapped or something." Jubilee's voice sounded sincere enough and Rogue had to sigh in frustration. This was a bigger mess than she hoped it would be.

"You need to get to Charles." Teva said, hoping to refocus Rogue's drifting mind.

"you're right. Let's go. Jubes, think you can see if the coast is clear by the back stairs. I don't feel like running into the crowd right now."

"sure, sure…but Rogue, who's the kid?"

"Oh, this is Teva. Don't worry she's a mutant. She's with me." Rogue was trying to explain, but she preferred not to tell Jubilee all the juicy details just yet, especially when she was about to encounter that situation very soon.

* * *

Jubilee went around the corner and then coughed while motioning for Rogue to come forward. Teva chased Rogue's movements precisely.

When they reached the door to the study, Rogue's hand hovered over the knob. She took a deep breath that lasted a little too long.

"What are you waiting for?" Teva whispered from behind her.

"nothing… I…" But Rogue suppressed her fear and walked in.

Rogue scanned the room. Beast was sitting on the sofa with a few files strewn on the coffee table. Logan was pacing back and forth, glancing out the large windows that led onto a balcony.

The professor, Rogue assumed was the man sitting in the oversized leather chair that stood beside the couch. The second she entered Logan stopped his movements and the other two looked up swiftly.

Logan threw his head around sniffing the air.

"Oh, Rogue. So good of you to come back." The professor said. It wasn't exactly the same voice she remembered, but the tone was definitely that of their beloved leader.

Logan was fuming. He didn't say anything as Rogue cast her eyes in his direction, but shifted them rather quickly once his expression was clear. She once again had to remember her breathing because her heart was out of control. She knew it was silly to be afraid of Logan, but all the same she couldn't help her feelings.

"do come in." Beast said as he lifted his right hand/paw to the air. Rogue walked in, but as she peered back to motion for Teva to come in as well she found that the young girl was nowhere to be seen. Rogue looked back in the hallway, confused. Had she dreamt the whole thing? This wasn't helping her handle on reality for the moment.

"What is it Rogue?" The professor asked, but Rogue simply tried to wipe the image out her mind as she shook her head back in forth. Shutting the door, Rogue walked to sit in the chair that stood on the opposite side of the couch. From there she had a clear view of Logan's face, although she tried to avoid looking up.

"Don't you try to hide from me kid. Where the hell were you? What were you thinking going off with that psychopath? Do you want to get yourself killed!?" Logan approached her with every question. His voice tight, yet controlled for the most part. Rogue could tell that he was holding back some of his anger, probably because of the present company.

"Logan, let the girl calm down. Can't you see she is startled enough." Beast stated with understanding eyes.

"Logan…I'm sorry." Rogue started. Her voice quiet and strained as well.

"Rogue. Why don't you tell me what you came here to say?" The professor suggested, breaking the tension.

"can't you just find it. I mean can't you go into my mind and pull it out. It's all complicated and I don't really know where to begin."

The professor smiled, but it wasn't a happy one. His smile proved that he appreciated Rogue's difficulty, but it also held sadness.

"I'm sorry Rogue, but as I am just returning to proper health my powers are not as strong. I could go into your mind, but I would not like to take the chance of damaging you."

Rogue sighed.

"fine. Well it started when I went off on call to help out Bobby and Kitty. They were determined to take care of it themselves-"

"didn't help them too much as iceboy puts it." Logan interjected.

"Logan." The professor said with a firm tone.

"sorry, but the kid has been god knows where with that pyromaniac and we're just going to sit by while she explains how he tricked her into helping him. How she fell for those sad little eyes and the kicked puppy routine when we know that he set the fire which killed more than twenty people!"

"he didn't do it."

"is that what he told you!?"

"Logan." The professor began again. However, Rogue stood to face Logan.

"John didn't start the fire. I know you don't trust him, but trust me. You didn't see him! You weren't there until it was over! I was in it Logan! I saw the men beating him! So what you think I can just condone that because he happens to have been a bad guy!? You have NO idea what is going on!" Rogue's fists were aching at her sides. Her instinct in the last few days was to punch anyone that crossed her. Realizing that she was getting far too upset she turned back towards the professor. Logan stood silent.

"The men who set the fire, they had these guns. John saw it first hand and he said that when the guns were fired at mutants it stuns their powers. Basically the men incapacitated him long enough to get him out of the building and beat him up. They set the fire to kill the mutants inside."

"did you see these guns?"

"not first hand, but why would John lie about this."

"because he's a compulsory liar by nature. Just a guess." Logan cut in.

"yes, but not this Logan. He was scared. I think he's been running from house to house trying to avoid these men, but he had a theory that the government was backing the supply since the weaponry was too advance for the bums that had them."

"Interesting theory. If these guns do exists then it means that someone higher up is trying to round up the mutants."

"I don't mean any disrespect professor, but I don't think they are rounding them up. I think they are trying to purge them from the world."

"Where's your friend now?" Logan asked.

Rogue stayed quiet for a few minutes. The professor looked her in the eyes.

"Is the cure temporary?" Rogue asked with a ball welling up in her throat.

"what's that got to do with anything?" Logan asked confused.

The professor must have slipped into Rogue's mind, or at least the surface because he seemed to answer what she was thinking.

"Did he do that to you?" The professor was pointing to Rogue's neck where a red line was imprinted.

"yes. It wasn't like before. I think he might be getting more of his power back, but I can't be sure. It might just be left over or something…"

"would someone like to fill me in here!?" Logan yelled.

"yes, please do explain." Beast agreed.

"Eric appears not to be as harmless as we had assumed." The professor stood up. This movement grounded Rogue back to reality. She had almost forgot about the professor's new body.

"Magneto. But how is this possible?" Logan walked over to Rogue and reached his hand out to touch her neck. She flinched away.

"What is it kid? You're not afraid of me?" Logan's eyebrows shot together in worry.

"no, it's just how do we know that if Magneto can get his powers back that it won't happen to me too." Logan was torn between a smile and anguish. Rogue could see the emotions play behind his eyes. She wondered if he liked her better when she was a mutant.

"let's not jump to any conclusions." Beast said as he too rose to stand.

"He's right. We cannot assume that the same thing will happen to you Rogue. Eric's powers were already beyond the level of a normal mutant, there is no reason to suspect that the cure that you took will wear off." The professor smiled to comfort her. Then his expression changed to uncertainty.

"I do have to ask you Rogue, where is the girl you were with when you came here?"

* * *

**A/N: **Hey all you lovely readers. Thank you for continuing to endure my spaced updates and lengthy story. I hope you like this chapter a bit better because it's longer as I had to hash out some key story points for the future. Don't worry John isn't going anywhere! Once again I appreciate all the feedback you guys have given me. Especially my Chapter Nine reviewers, dulcesweet, weebird, Wanda W(as always, a BIG thank you!), 3karen3, and ebuchala!!

Like I said I got into the Twilight series and have now completed all four books, gotta say 1-3 was AMAZING and 4 was…a bit disappointing. Didn't feel like Meyer's writing, more like a fan fiction. Hmm

Anyways I still say you should read it if you haven't. Anyone who has read my Livejournal blog has already heard me ramble on about this, sorry again.

PS: my birthday is coming up! Not that anyone cares, but I'm putting it out there!

Also just a thought if anyone is in the mood for some visual Ryro go over to youtube and check out MelKatProductions because those girls always have the best Pyro/Rogue videos! I have only made one in my life, and let's just say it wasn't nearly as pretty as theirs.


	11. Not Fair

**Spun**

**By Liz Wyatt**

**Chapter Eleven: Not Fair**

_He got away with the ultimate shakedown_

_He ran away from the scene of the crime_

_He got away from everyone in his way_

_Gone, and not a trace left behind_

_It's not fair_

_To catch me out_

_It's not fair_

_To leave me in doubt_

_No it's not fair_

_To not explain_

_It's not fair_

_To leave a mess behind_

_-Delta Goodrem_

* * *

"Was she even real?" Rogue asked. The pain in her shoulder was subsiding, but she still found it difficult to maneuver herself into a position that would invoke a sense of an upper hand.

She felt angry, scared, and confused all in one. This combination showed on her features as her eyebrows knit together, her eyes widened, and her mouth bit down into a hard line.

"Yes. She is very real." Cold. Simple. No remorse. Rogue shouldn't have expected anything less.

* * *

_A few hours earlier_

"Professor, I don't know what happened to her. She was with me when I came to the door." She was just as confused as the men staring her down.

"I've been trying to get a lock on her location. My powers are not up to their full strength at the moment. I know that she is still in the mansion. Her mind's presence has not left. Yet she is too far away for me to attempt going inside her psyche." The professor stated.

Logan approached the door as Rogue turned to exit through. Logan crossed his large muscular arms, one over the other to rest across his broad chest. He appeared to be puffing it out to scare her.

"Not just yet. You two may have the pleasure of being in the know on this one, but me and blue here are not as quick to join that party. Kid, you mind telling me who this girl you came with is?"

"You already met her Logan. It's Teva."

His eyes searched hers. His nose crinkled as if he seemed to be running through a file cabinet of stored memories. Nothing was clicking.

"The girl you brought in from the rain." Rogue tried to remember how Logan had found Teva. That night seemed so far gone from their current situation. The truth was that it had only a little less than a week ago. "She…she smelled like vanilla I think. She said it was her moms…"

Logan's eyes widened.

"I've been searching for that damn kid ever since that day! Storm has been on my ass about her and you took her off to be some sidekick in your adventure!?"

The professor coughed as Logan raised his voice again. Rogue was getting tired of the professor's study. She wanted to push through the man who was towering over her and as she thought more about the notion her fingers began to play into fists.

Logan looked at her hands and back at her face. Wordlessly he stepped aside. Her face didn't feel like it had changed but inside she felt a sense of euphoria that Logan had backed down. She immediately rushed into the hallway and ran to search for Teva.

* * *

"Rogue!" Jubilee yelled as Rogue whipped by her on the staircase.

Rogue only paused on the last step to turn to her friend. "Have you seen her? The girl I came with. Did you see where she went?"

Jubilee replied, "Kitty found her. They walked towards the lifts, but I haven't seen them in a while."

Rogue looked down the hall to see the elevator. Her focus became those hidden doors in the paneling, but she realized that Kitty and Teva could be anywhere by now. "Was she alone?"

Jubilee looked confused. "Do you mean that girl or do you mean was kitty alone?"

"Kitty. Was she alone or…"

Jubilee smiled sadly, "Bobby wasn't with her."

"Did Kitty say anything about where she was going?"

"Umm.." but as Jubilee stood there trying to recall her memories the alarm on Rogue's x-men wristband began to wail.

"What the hell?" Rogue whispered.

Beast came down the staircase. He wasn't exactly running, but more like hopping. Rogue swore that he had probably run on all fours until the staircase.

"What is it? What's going on?"

"We aren't sure. Someone pressed the alarm in the lab downstairs. The professor sent me to see what it is."

He proceeded to go into the elevator. Rogue followed him in.

"I have a bad feeling I know who did it." Rogue stated as the doors slid closed. Even though the elevator ride was only a few seconds, Rogue's palms began to sweat. She hoped that the feeling that was now overtaking her would disappear, but as she went over the facts in her mind it all began to make more sense. She hoped that she would be wrong and that Teva would be waiting with open arms for her. She looked at her reflection in the elevator doors and immediately the thought of John standing behind her in that very elevator not too long ago made her stomach drop even more. She wondered where he was. What he was doing. What Magneto was brainwashing him with.

* * *

The elevator doors opened to the basement floor. The overhead lights were flickering, but the hall was not in complete darkness as the baseboard lit a trail into the laboratories. Slowly she and Beast approached the laboratories. They could see through the large glass windows that there had been a struggle.

Rogue signaled to Beast that she was going to go in first and even as he shook his head to disagree she pushed the door gradually in. The door pushed into broken glass and smeared serums. The floor was littered with more broken vials that stained everywhere they touched.

Then Rogue saw Kitty's body lying on her stomach in the corner. As Rogue rushed to Kitty she forgot about any looming danger. She flipped Kitty onto her side. She heard some low moans and mumbles, but Rogue was more concerned with the cuts across Kitty's face and hands. There also appeared to be some glass in Kitty's right leg as there was a streak of blood surrounding her lower half.

"Kitty! Are you alright? Where did she go?"

Kitty mumbled, but her face constricted as she was in obvious pain.

"I'm calling up to the professor right now to sound the full school alarm and then we need to get her into a clean lab." Beast said as he dialed the phone hooked to the wall nearest him.

Rogue nodded towards Beast. She was about to say something, but she felt Kitty's hand grab her forearm. Rogue quickly turned her head quizzically.

"She had a gun. I…I…my powers…they didn't work." Kitty began to tear up, "I don't know what happened…my powers…"

"It's okay Kitty. It's all going to be okay." As Rogue said that she heard a loud crash as Beast was thrown into the lab table. In the doorway stood Teva looking in Rogue's direction.

"Rogue." Kitty's voice squeaked out in a panic.

Rogue patted Kitty's arm to reassure her. Then she rose to stand facing the door.

"You get what you wanted?" Rogue said coldly.

"More or less." The voice was that of the sweet girl Rogue had met, but she knew that behind it was nothing sweet.

"I can't let you leave. You know that."

"I was hoping you'd feel some sort of guilt and let me go I mean you are the reason I got into this mess in the first place. If Pyro hadn't been so blind by you then he wouldn't have put me in danger."

"Shut up! It's pretty obvious you didn't need John at all."

"On the contrary. She did."

Rogue ran at the girl. She expected a fight to break out, but what she didn't expect was a gun to be drawn and shot before Rogue could reach the door. As she felt a shock rip into her shoulder her body fell to the ground. There were no bullets. She realized that this gun must have been the weapon that John had told her about back in the motel room. Rogue heard cries of pain, but it took her a few seconds to realize that those sounds were not from the body behind her, but rather her own mouth. The shock was still running down her arm and into her chest. She heard Kitty yell her name, but the world was muffling in her ears as the heat enveloped her face.

The girl that was Teva began to turn into the hallway.

"Was she even real?" Rogue yelled through the pain.

"Yes. She is very real." Cold. Simple. No remorse. Rogue shouldn't have expected anything less. Teva's eyes flickered to the true yellow ones beneath the surface.

Then she was gone. Rogue tried to push to her knees while holding her shoulder with the opposite hand.

Beast, apparently recovering from his unconsciousness was back at her side. He helped her stand.

"Help kitty." The words came out more as a growl. Rogue regretted being short with the man helping her, but her heart was hurting. In the moments that she realized that Teva could have been a character that Mystique had created she never thought that Teva actually could have been a real person that Rogue had met. Now she was left uncertain if Teva was safe and unclear if John knew the whole time.

* * *

The professor and Logan had arrived at the scene too late to stop Mystique from escaping. Even as Logan tried to follow her scent it was determined that she was too far for him to keep tracking. After hearing of the commotion Bobby came into the lab where the professor had moved Kitty. Rogue was propped on a chair in the corner-letting Beast examine the wound in her shoulder.

The pain was replaced by a numbness extending throughout one side of her body. She was amazed that the pulse hadn't shocked her heart right into cardiac arrest. Beast was more concerned with determining how the pulse was meant to stun the powers in mutants.

Bobby stood in the door staring at Kitty as the professor was bandaging her, but as he glanced into the corner where Rogue peered back his face swept between anger and concern.

Maybe he could still care after everything. Sure, Rogue didn't have sympathy for his situation, but she knew that what they had shared between them would not disappear. 'Could this be one of the stages?' she wondered. First you're upset and seeking revenge, but at some point you have to let the anger go and try to remember that you care about each other. Even with this possible enlightenment she knew that she'd have to wait and see how Bobby treated her because if he was still determined to be a jerk then she had no problem reintroducing him to her fist.

"Who did this?" Bobby asked the obvious.

The professor looked in Rogue's direction. She didn't know why he couldn't just tell Bobby since it was obvious that the professor knew the truth. It seemed on Rogue had been blinded by the girl.

"Mystique." Rogue said simply. Bobby's eyes widened and he moved swiftly to peer over Kitty.

"You okay…" he said quietly. Kitty's face moved into a smile small, but her eyes were wary. Rogue wondered what Kitty's apprehension meant, but she was too preoccupied to care.

Bobby raised his head and walked around Kitty's bed so the professor could continue bandaging his new girlfriend. He walked to Rogue and crossed his arms across his chest. Beast looked between the two and said, "all done here Rogue, let me know when you get the feeling back fully." He then proceeded to go to Kitty's other side.

Bobby remained looking at Rogue in silence.

"Is there something you wanted to say?" Rogue said a bit harshly, but she caught herself to smooth out her features to reassure him that she wasn't mad at him.

"Do you know why she came here?" Bobby asked.

"No. I suppose you blame me for not realizing that she wasn't an 8 year old girl though, right?"

His eyes were still guarded, as he replied, "no."

What did that mean? No he didn't blame her or something else? Rogue looked at him expectantly as though he should have more to say as some sort of confirmation.

After a few seconds he opened his mouth again to say, "Does it hurt?" he gestured to her shoulder.

She tried to move her shoulder up and down and while she saw it happen all she felt was the tingling sensation of pins and needles. "I've been better. I think your girl got worse off. Not sure what I'd do if I relied on my powers."

Bobby looked confused at her statement. Rogue knew he wouldn't understand and as much as she hated to admit it the only person who probably would understand was off playing villain. The truth was that Rogue wasn't scared when she got shot. If it had happened months before when she barely knew how to defend herself without relying on her powers then she would have been doomed. She knew that Kitty could fight either way, but she also realized that Kitty was probably more spooked than in actual pain.

"Thanks." Bobby said with a sigh. Rogue realized that she must have spaced out in her thoughts because she hadn't been paying attention to him. His eyes tried to convey his gratitude as he glanced at Kitty.

"Yeah…much good I did" Rogue said quietly.

Bobby heard her, but didn't respond. It was possible that he was feeling conflicted on his loyalties and responsibility towards his past and present girlfriends Rogue assumed.

"Rogue, do you have any idea where Mystique will be headed?" The Professor asked.

Logan appeared at the door then. Rogue spoke all the while looking between Logan and Bobby.

"She'll be going back to Magneto I suppose. He took John which means that he was either following him or had Mystique doing the tracking."

"We should determine the nature of these guns and in order to that we will need some government access." The professor stated towards Beast.

"I will try my best, but they have been blocking me out more and more it seems."

"Maybe they don't like their politicians getting wrapped up in fights against their own military." Logan smirked.

Beast returned the comment with a smile, "it would appear that way."

"What about Teva?" Rogue asked.

"Who?" Bobby asked.

"Teva, the girl that Mystique came disguised as."

"What about her?" Bobby asked again.

"We can't just leave her there with Magneto. We have to find her." Rogue said as she began to get off her chair.

"Rogue-" the professor began.

"No. I know that you all probably think I'm crazy, but she doesn't deserve to be held there against her will." Rogue stated and was surprised when no one was jumping to support her.

"Who says she's there against her will. Maybe she helped in this whole thing." Bobby said.

"No, she wouldn't do that."

"How do you know that?" Bobby was beginning to get frustrated with Rogue.

"I…" Rogue began, but couldn't think fast enough to respond. She wasn't sure what a rational reasoning would be. Did she really believe in this girl that much or was she really talking about finding John. Her lips tingled at the memory of his mouth on hers. It hadn't been what she expected and while she knew it was wrong she had regained some faith in her old friend in that embrace.

"Sorry kid, but we can't just go in there blind. Let's see what Magneto's next move will be." Logan said with a reassuring glance showing that he was hopeful that she would know that he was on her side.

Kitty was sitting up now and Rogue shrunk into her corner as the Professor helped Kitty to stand and Bobby came around to her side to support her if she needed. Beast also paid close attention to Kitty as he removed her heart monitor.

Logan was staring at Rogue as she quietly exited the lab and headed for the elevator.

"It's not about the girl." Logan stated in the hallway as she was waiting for the elevator door to open.

Rogue thought about what she would say to Logan. Her head swung to look him in the eye. "He came to me. He risked it all to help this girl. I can't just ignore that."

Logan didn't move. No smile. No reaction except a slight nod in understanding.

* * *

Rogue entered the elevator and sighed as her reflection appeared in front of her. She looked at her form staring back at her and raised her right arm. She pounded on the door in frustration. She was tired and although her tears sat along her eyelids she didn't let them fall. She rested her head on the reflection and took a few deep breaths to compose herself.

The doors opened to her floor and as she walked out into the corridors she realized how late it was. There were no sounds coming from the rooms and no movement in the corridor. When she finally trudged up in front of her door she hesitated. Her body called for her to rest, but her mind was telling her to run. She wasn't sure where she was meant to run to, but nonetheless her mind commanded her to do so.

"Hey." A voice said quietly from behind her. Rogue wondered if she could be imagining HIS voice.

"Rogue." The thick accent played with her name.

"Peter." Rogue stated more for herself as she turned to face him.

"You alright?" Peter asked concerned. "You didn't come back after the fight."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Bobby said you went AWOL."

"Yeah…I had a momentary lapse in judgment." Rogue said while refusing to look him in the eye.

"Kitty told me that you pummeled some bad guys." Peter smiled.

Rogue finally peered into his eyes. "Yeah I guess I did." She couldn't help smiling because his smile was infectious.

"Not to mention the job you did on Bobby." He was smiling wider.

Rogue turned concerned then. "Did he-"

"No, no. He didn't tell anyone. The bruises were noticeable enough though. He said it was the fight, but you could tell. Kitty let on after a while, but only to me and Jubilee."

Rogue laughed. "Guess he didn't want to admit that a girl got to him."

"Guess not. So…you sticking around for a bit?" Peter asked.

"Yeah… I think so." Rogue said.

"Good. I've got a few new moves for you." He put up his fists in a playful way to show her. He pushed out his right hand to show her a pretend punch and she caught it with her own hand while laughing. In a second Rogue felt a tingle in her fingertips and she quickly released his fist. He didn't seem to notice much, but Rogue was able to hear him lose his breath for a second.

Her eyes went wide and she threw her hands together behind her back.

"Rogue?" Peter asked bewildered.

"I…I've got to go to bed now." Rogue said as she shuffled to unlock her door. She threw open the door and shut it quickly behind her. Leaning against the now closed door she began to hyperventilate. She looked at her hands and yet she couldn't control her breathing.

Had she imagined it? Peter didn't seem to notice, but the sensation was so familiar.

* * *

**A/N: **So not a long chapter and I apologize for it not being AMAZING or up to par, but what can I say? I got busy with school and my birthday. It happens. I appreciate everyone that reads this chapter because it means you're still interested even as I am a sucky updater.

I think the problem was that when you try to be sneaky in your storylines and someone guesses where you're going you get kind of discouraged. Hopefully my writing makes up for my predictability. Happy reading and hopefully I can round things up in a few longer chapters because Rogue needs some loving.

Stick with me and I'm sorry again!


	12. Mouthwash

**Spun**

**By Liz Wyatt**

**Chapter Twelve: Mouthwash**

_This is my face_

_I've got a thousand opinions_

_And not the time to explain_

_And this is my body_

_And no matter how you try and disable it_

_Yes I'll still be here_

_And, this, is my mind_

_And although you try to infringe_

_You cannot confine_

_And, this, is my brain_

_And even if you try and hold me back_

_There's nothing that you can gain_

_-Kate Nash_

* * *

After pacing her room, Rogue was still plagued with the events of the past few days and her newfound difficulty. She had eventually succumbed to the darkness outside her window that urged her eyelids to droop and sleep to overtake her.

Awaking to the sun streams across her bed she could not help, but stare at the shadow cast down her exposed arm. The ironic message that Mother Nature had supported with this moment was not lost on Rogue. She didn't belong to anything at the moment. Her loyalties appeared to be with the mutants, but she herself was neither mutant nor completely human anymore. If the events with Peter in the previous night had really happened then she would have to meet her fate head on this time.

Taking this new initiative to heart she quickly sprang to life and headed to the wooden box upon her dresser. As she reached to touch the lid she slowly drifted her fingertips over the burned indent that had once been caused by a friend in need of a quick fix birthday present. She traced the "R" all the way to her final "e".

She recalled how Logan had said that no matter who she was at the moment, she would never stop being Rogue. Somewhere inside she knew that she never was meant to be Marie. Maybe that's why she hadn't wanted people to call her Marie now. Maybe she always feared that the cure wouldn't work.

Flipping the lid open she looked inside the box at the black silky material folded within. She reached out with hesitation while lifting and unfolding the creases. She slipped her right arm slowly down in between the divided space. Her fingers brushed to the tips and as she lifted her hand to inspect it she immediately dropped her arm down and ripped the glove off. She didn't bother folding them back up as she shoved the gloves inside and slammed the box shut.

* * *

Rogue headed downstairs, still reeling from the jolt that had sent her rushing from her room and down the corridor. As she bounded down the stairs to the main foyer she slowed her pace. She walked into the dining room and looked at all the students chatting away, seemingly unaware of the fight that had taken place inside the mansion in the previous night.

She spotted Kitty sitting with her back to a wall in the corner where the large windows on the front of the school let the light invade the room. Next to Kitty against the same wall was Peter. She saw Jubilee sit in the chair at the head of the table next to Kitty. They immediately began talking low and to each other. Peter looked torn between confusion as he stared at the girls and frustration for not being able to hear what they were saying. Rogue laughed a little to herself. It was then that Peter was looking around and caught her eyes. He smiled his goofy grin and gestured for her join them.

Rogue sucked in a slow breath and made her way to the table. Although she wasn't sure that last night had been proof enough, she held her hands clasped together just the same. In the last few strides to the table she was nearly knocked over by an oblivious Bobby who cut in front of her to sit across from Kitty. He placed two plates on the table, one for her and one for him. Kitty smiled towards Bobby and then realized that Rogue was standing a few steps from their table. She smiled a bit bigger and Rogue was taken aback by her expression.

Peter kicked the chair nearest Rogue out with his foot. She sat down as Bobby finally became aware of her presence. He stiffened and ate his food slower. Jubilee raised her eyebrows in Bobby's direction.

" So I heard that Storm has been MIA since the professor came back. Wonder what's up with her." Jubilee gossiped.

"She probably couldn't take her power of authority being taken back. I don't know why she doubted that the professor was alive." Kitty stated.

"Yeah, I heard she wouldn't listen to that nurse lady when she called the school." Peter added, though with less enthusiasm than Jubilee.

"Control freak." Jubilee laughed.

There was a little bit of silence and Kitty was looking at Bobby strangely. He didn't appear to see her or he was ignoring her because he continued to act distant from the group.

"So Rogue, you busy after 3rd period?" Peter asked.

Jubilee cut in, "why Peter? You want to rock her human world? Think you might not only break her in, but break her in two."

Rogue normally would have flushed red with the suggestion; however, instead she couldn't help but wonder. Granted it wasn't Peter with her in her bedroom, but another. She had fantasized about Bobby for so long, but as the Bobby of her daydreams kissed her, his lips disappeared and a fire burned at her skin instead. She found herself placing her hands, palms down on the table to sturdy herself.

"Rogue…" Peter said as he waved his hand in front of her face.

"What? Oh, sorry I must have zoned out."

"Probably thinking about Peter." Jubilee laughed. Peter glared. Kitty furrowed her brow and waited for Bobby's reaction. He was still immersed in his Frosted Flakes cereal bowl.

"Sorry to disappoint Jubes, but I really did just tune you out." Rogue smiled mischievously as Jubilee's face hardened into a pout.

Peter laughed and went to reach his hands across the table for Rogue's own. She knew that he was probably only going to pat her hand as reassurance to ignore Jubilee or some other friendly gesture; however she immediately pulled her hands back and under the table.

She realized that Bobby was staring at her now. In fact they all were looking at her strangely.

"I'm sorry. I have to go." Rogue apologized and hustled out of the room.

* * *

Rogue walked out of the mansion into the blazing sunshine where she immediately saw a single form walking away from the kids who were distracted by their own basketball game. Rogue realized that it was Storm who was heading away from the school. She was dressed in her normal black pantsuit; however her hair had been growing at a rapid rate.

Walking swiftly towards the older mutant, Rogue was unsure why she felt the impulse to follow her former teacher.

Storm eventually stopped as she was standing at Scott's gravesite. There was a headstone with a matching one next to it that read "Jean Grey". The professor's headstone had been moved; however the grass that had once lived underneath the stone was now an orangish brown color.

"Why are you following me?" Storm said without even turning around. The words weren't harsh, but Storm seemed annoyed.

Rogue didn't know what to say and in her hesitation Storm turned around to face her stalker. Her hardened face softened and she sighed. Rogue looked at her with confusion burrowing her eyebrows.

"I thought you might be Logan." Storm said simply.

"Yeah…can't say I've heard that one before." Rogue said with a small and wary voice.

"He's been a bit busy, but he still manages to track me down when I don't want to be found." Storm smiled. Rogue was once again confused, but with a whole set of new questions about how much storm actually wanted Logan to be the one checking up on her. Rogue knew it wasn't her place so she never asked, but she knew. She knew that Storm had always been a little fascinated by Rogue's watchman. Rogue wondered when fascination had become something more for Storm.

"He's a good guy like that. Just can't seem to let us deal with everything on our own." Rogue stated.

"Yeah…speaking of, how you doing? I heard you had come back, but I've just been so…"

"Distracted?" Rogue offered.

"A bit." Storm said.

"Well I'd like to tell you I'm fine, but I'm not." Rogue wasn't sure why she felt chatty now especially with the last person she would normally confide in.

Storm eyed her curiously. "Is this about John?"

"Somewhat. I think it started with him, but…things seem to have a way of getting even more complicated. I thought everything would be simple after I took the cure."

Storm nodded. Rogue knew that Storm was always against anyone taking the cure. Storm had made her feelings about Rogue's choice perfectly clear when she had come home; however Rogue had to excuse some of Storm's behavior because they had just loss 3 teachers and X-men in a short time.

"I can't seem to escape it though. John finds me. Magneto finds me. It's like I'll never be able to have any sort of normal life." Rogue sighed.

"If it's normal you want then you can't go looking for it here."

"You kicking me out?" Rogue asked.

"No. I didn't mean it like that. You have to know that while you stay here things will never be 'normal' because none of us is ordinary. You may feel like a human now Rogue, but even you aren't ordinary. Besides, even if I wanted to, I'd never turn someone away from the school."

Rogue tried to absorb what Storm was saying. This was not their usual thing. The whole opening up about their feelings didn't come naturally for either woman and so Rogue could appreciate Storm's attempt.

"The cure might be temporary." Rogue said after a long pause. She was surprised when Storm's face dropped.

"I'm sorry Rogue."

"No…you're not, but it's okay I guess." Rogue said with a sad smile.

"I _am _sorry for you Rogue. I know how much you wanted it to work. However, I can't deny that I'm grateful in a way because I truly believe that we were all given these gifts for a reason. Even yours."

"Just not sure what the higher power had in mind when he cooked up my powers. A girl who can look, but never touch."

There was another long pause and Rogue looked overhead as Storm clouds began to billow in. Rogue looked at Storm to see if she was controlling the weather, but the mutant looked neither interested nor in the mood to play with the winds.

As the rain started to pour Storm began to raise her hands, but Rogue interrupted, "wait." Storm looked back at the younger girl quizzically.

"Let it go." Rogue smiled.

Storm dropped her hands and the rain began falling with more force. They both simply stood there getting drenched until Storm began to walk in the direction of the mansion. She mumbled something about finding the professor and Rogue knew that it was time to leave. With one last glance at the headstones, Rogue saw the dead grass begin to rise and be reborn.

* * *

As she realized how cold she was getting, Rogue went back inside the mansion through the side doors. Stepping into warm hallway she was hit first by the rush of loud voices as the kids scrambled in between classes. Then the bell rang and silence took over. The squeak of Rogue's shoes was the only noise vibrating through the wooden school. She looked at her watch and decided to head down to train with Peter.

Escaping the elevator, Rogue walked towards the uniform room to steal a pair of sweats. As she passed the labs she realized that Beast must have cleaned up a bit because the glass had been repaired nicely. Turning into the uniform room she quickly changed into her sweatpants and tank top.

Rogue must have been distracted because she didn't hear the giant colossus come up behind her and put a hand on her bare shoulder. She felt the tingle and quickly spun to face him. She was horrified, but he once again was oblivious.

"Jumpy?"

"You didn't feel that?" Rogue asked quickly.

"Feel what?" Peter asked concerned.

"When you put your hand…on my shoulder…didn't you…" Rogue was rambling off more to herself.

Peter moved towards her as she backed away quickly before being stopped by a set of shelves.

"Rogue, what is your problem? You've been like this all morning."

"I know. I'm sorry. I could have sworn that when you touched my skin that…that my powers kicked in." Peter's face hardened, but he looked to be thinking back.

"I didn't feel it Rogue, but if you need to be sure…"

"What?" Rogue was shocked. Was he offering to be her guinea pig even AFTER she had explained that her deadly power might be returning?

"You know what I mean Rogue." Peter said quickly.

"Are you sure?" Rogue asked as her eyes widened.

He simple nodded and stepped toward her again. She eased away from the shelves and walked slowly to meet him. He held up his hand as if he were going for a high five. Rogue realized that this might seem a little too much like a scene from a romantic movie; however as her hand reached to meet his she knew there was nothing romantic about the prospect of killing your friend.

As their hands touch she was hesitant at first, but he molded his hand closer to feel the full force, should it happen.

There was no tingle. There was no pull.

Rogue let out the breath she was holding as her face broke into a small smile of relief. His face broke into a smile as well and he laughed slightly.

Just then Bobby and Kitty rounded the corner into the room. They saw the two holding one hand awkwardly in the air and laughing. Kitty looked confused. Bobby looked indifferent.

Rogue broke her hand away from Peter's and said thank you quietly.

Bobby rushed to throw some sweats into the washing bucket. Kitty eyed Rogue curiously and smiled; however Rogue rolled her eyes at the girl.

"Nope." Rogue said to Kitty.

Kitty smiled, "didn't think so, but I had to ask."

Peter broke in, "what ARE you two going on about?"

"Nothing," Rogue laughed. "Nothing at all."

* * *

Peter had set up the danger room for more physical tests for Rogue. They trained for a while together, but then Kitty wanted to join in. Bobby had gone back upstairs and left her to her own devices. Peter was happy to help out the Shadow cat while Rogue ran through the obstacle course. When she came back she could tell that they weren't making too much process as they were both laughing.

Rogue excused herself with a smile and headed out into the hallway. She saw the professor and Beast coming out of a lab.

"Hello professor. Beast." Rogue said.

"How are you feeling today Rogue?" Beast asked.

"Better." Rogue admitted.

"That's good." The professor said as he put a hand on her shoulder. She smiled up at him, still adjusting to his new appearance, let alone height. Then she felt the tingle on her shoulder. She assumed it was another ghost sensation from her past. That it was all in her head.

However when she saw the professor begin to slump and Beast catch him for support, Rogue's eyes widened in horror. The world around her slowed and the noise of the danger room door opening and footsteps muffled out as all her heard was the low sound of voices in her head once again.

_"What happened" _Rogue heard Kitty say, but she realized that Kitty's mouth wasn't moving.

_"Did the professor have an episode or something?" _Peter thought.

_"Rogue." _The professor called in his thoughts.

_"Rogue, calm down."_ The professor soothed again. It was then that Rogue realized that her heart was pounding too fast and sweat was building up on her forehead. She was about to faint. She could feel her legs giving out.

"Someone catch her." The professor said out loud.

Rogue felt Peter's hands snake around her waste.

"Careful of her skin." The professor warned and Peter's hands shifted to lie on her top as he supported her to stand.

"What's going on?" Kitty spoke.

"Rogue?" The professor was standing again. "Rogue?"

She couldn't find the words to say or the strength to open her mouth.

* * *

An hour later she awoke on one of the lab examining beds. The voices remained low enough that she could block most of them out; however the professor stood by her side trying to reassure her that it was going to be okay. A million questions were running through Rogue's mind at that moment. She heard Logan's voice break through her mind.

_"Look at her. What have they done to you kid?_" He thought.

"Is she alright?" Storm asked out loud.

"She's fine." The professor stated before continuing, "I think her powers are returning."

"Who'd she absorb?" Storm assumed that Rogue had to have touched someone in order to be hazy and laying on a lab table.

"Me." The professor said.

"You? Don't you think you should have known better Chuck? She's probably got a thousands voices back in her head now." Logan said harshly.

The tone was not lost on the professor. "I didn't think her powers would return this quickly."

"Didn't think! You're damn right you didn't think." Logan said as he moved to stand on the other side of Rogue.

"Logan!" Storm raised her voice and motioned her hand to point towards Rogue in order to refocus his energy. "She doesn't need to hear you yelling all around the room. It's not exactly going to help her."

He sighed heavily to show Storm that he was not happy that she'd broken his tirade; however as he peered down into Rogue's now wide-open eyes his face softened a bit.

"You alright kid?" he asked.

She didn't respond. Rogue simply shut her eyes and swallowed hard. She wasn't sure if she was okay.

"She's fine." Beast reiterated. "Peter tells me that Rogue touched him and nothing happened."

"How's that possible if you're telling me she absorbed the professor's abilities?" Logan questioned.

"It's possible that Rogue's powers are returning slowly and that it may appear in bursts." Beast informed them.

"Is it possible she's learning how to control her powers now?" Storm asked.

Beast's eyebrows knit together, contemplating the idea.

"We won't know for a while if that is the case." The professor offered.

"For now it's probably best that we let Rogue relax until the Professor's powers pass through her system." Beast said as he motioned for all of them to leave the room.

"I'm not leaving her." Logan said with determination.

"Yes, you are. We all are going to let her ride this out." Storm moved to hold Logan's shoulders. She turned him towards the door and began to push him out.

"I'm not happy about this."

"I know." Storm smiled.

* * *

Even with them out of the room Rogue could feel their presences running through her mind. She sat up and swung her legs off the bed. She pushed open the glass door and peered into the hallway. There was no trace of them. She guessed that they had gone upstairs. Just then she saw Bobby walk out of the Danger Room. He spotted her and walked swiftly to meet her.

"I heard what happened. You okay?" He asked out of breath.

She nodded and looked around to see if anyone else was going to come out of the Danger Room. He followed her gaze and shook his head.

"Just me."

She smiled, but it was neither happy nor sad.

"You and Peter…a thing?" He asked quietly. Her face hardened as she shook her head no.

"Oh, I just thought…" He didn't finish his thought, but Rogue could clearly hear what he was thinking. He thought that she had been spending her nights romp rousing with Peter in his dorm room.

Rogue couldn't take it so she swallowed and said harshly, "When would I have had enough time to do that? In between you breaking up with me to be with Kitty or fighting to save John at that fire or maybe when I was tricked by Mystique to lead her into the mansion so she could hurt Kitty and get what she came for?"

Abruptly his expression changed into a defensive one.

"Guess his powers haven't worn off. I thought you were supposed to absorb their personalities for a while too. You're definitely not acting like the professor. In fact, you're acting more like the time you absorbed Pyro. Distant and deceptive." With that he walked away to the uniform room to change.

Rogue hadn't been surprised that Bobby was angry with her. His words, "distant and deceptive" seemed more accurate for his behavior than hers at the moment. He was acting strange and pushing everyone away. Maybe when she had told him off in the alley he had been truly thrown off his high horse. Whatever the reason she still didn't appreciate being yelled at by him.

She had managed to ignore her drama with John for a while in the day, but here it was rearing its ugly head again. Her mind was swirling with Bobby's leftover thoughts and anger. Rogue wanted to block it all out and let the professor's power fade away quickly. She remembered Jean talking about how it was hard to be able to hear everyone in the mansion, but the professor could hear more than that if he hooked himself up to Cerebro.

Then something clicked. Rogue walked slowly to the doors that had not been opened since Jean killed the professor. Without thinking it through Rogue yanked open the panel on the side of the door and fumbled with a few wires. Soon the doors creaked open and Rogue hoped Bobby wouldn't hear her.

She walked down the dusty metal walkway and kneeled at the consol. She pressed a few buttons to turn the machine on. The doors behind her still stood open and she knew she didn't have much time.

Quickly putting on the professor's helmet she was immediately swung into a mass of noise and bodies. She tried to focus on one in particular, but her head began to ache. When her head was near bursting she found him.

She saw him sitting in a room underground. He was talking to Mystique and he was upset. Then the door in that room opened and the Scarlet Witch motioned for them. By this time Rogue could barely hold on, she yelled out in pain. For a second John paused at the door as if he'd heard her call, but she knew it wasn't possible. The professor never had that ability. Cold hands touched her shoulders as it all faded to black.

* * *

**A/N:** another chapter. Hope you guys like it and still love my writing. This chapter took a bit of a different turn than I thought it would, but I liked it when I was writing it. Hopefully you did too.

Look for more in the future when the X-men are reunited with the Brotherhood. Oooo ahhh.

Thanks to all my beautiful reviewers!! I appreciate all the feedback and especially the encouragement! You have no idea what positive stuff does to help me, so thanks.


	13. Loosen Your Hold

**Spun**

**By Liz Wyatt**

**Chapter Thirteen: Loosen Your Hold**

_Feed me something_

_We'll go back to the start_

_Take pride of place_

_Understand our reasons_

_A photograph taken at the time when_

_Confidence won't up and leave_

_So loosen your hold_

_Though you might be frightened_

_Release or be caught_

_If this be the right thing_

_Unable by thought_

_To look what the tide brings in_

_Look what the tide brings in_

_Feed me something_

_-South

* * *

_Her eyes opened to a harsh fluorescent light and the hum of her heart beating on a monitor. Rogue moved her aching head to the side in order to see the other people in the room with her. Logan was standing at the computer screen that was displaying an extensive scan of Rogue's body and brain. Beast was playing chemist with a few vials at the table across from her bed. Both men had their backs to Rogue, unaware.

She peered to the corner where Storm was twisted up into a chair, asleep. Next to her was Rogue's former flame and possible savior in this moment. She knew that it had to have been Bobby who found her. Rogue realized that she could have been left in Cerebro to die because of her stupid idea had he not come in.

As Rogue began to shuffle her feet on the bed, Logan immediately whipped his head around. His natural frustrated face was plastered in front of her.

"do you know how stupid you were." Logan stated. It wasn't a question, but a judgment.

"Logan…" Rogue started, but he cut her off.

"This defying death thing is not to be a recurrence for you Rogue. You've gotten lucky kid, but you don't have nine lives."

"I know I was stupid. I just wanted to test a theory."

"test a theory!? Dammit Rogue, you aren't some schoolgirl anymore. This is real. You're life is a real thing. You can't just throw it all away because you don't get a second chance when you go down that path."

Rogue knew that Logan had ventured into what she called "Jean territory" where her former teacher's death and mistakes influenced his arguments as if he was fighting the love of his life all over again.

The other people in the room began to stir, as Logan wasn't exactly quiet in his expressions.

Storm stretched in a mild confused and sleepy state. Once she realized that Logan was fuming and that Rogue was awake, Strom rushed to stand next to Logan.

"Rogue!" she smiled.

"hey Storm." Rogue said with her best fake enthusiasm because she was still distraught over Logan's outburst.

Bobby walked to the opposite side of the table and Beast stopped to look in Rogue's direction.

"hey." Bobby said quietly.

"hey." Rogue whispered.

"Bobby is the one who found you." Storm stated.

"I thought as much." Rogue had to admit that she was grateful.

"yeah, well it's just lucky that I had some dirty laundry duty to fulfill."

"yeah…" Rogue said before looking back at Logan.

He turned his back to her and looked back at the computer screen with folded arms.

Storm sighed and spun to talk to Logan. Rogue heard a few heated whispers and Storm even pushed Logan.

"Guess there is one thing that Wolverine is scared of." Bobby joked.

"Small pushy and authoritative women with white hair." Rogue shot back.

There was a silence as they both listened to the older mutants argument. Then Bobby broke the moment,

"Why'd you go in there? You remember what happened to Jean when she did that?"

"I know. Everyone keeps telling me how stupid I am. Listen, the truth is I don't know why I did it. I was just drawn to Cerebro. Maybe that's a professor trait or something, but I knew once I had the idea that there was no way to stop my body from going in there. I've never felt that strong an impulse."

Bobby appeared to be soaking in Rogue's confession. He looked concerned as well and Rogue had to ask,

"Why are you being weird lately? You ignore everyone and act like an asshole every time you see me."

His face-hardened and Rogue prepared herself for an angry rebuttal; however, he softened before admitting his own confession.

"I'm jealous. I'm jealous that Peter and you seem to be getting friendly and I'm jealous that you chose Pyro over us at the fire and I'm upset that Kitty and you seem to be good friends now."

"you're mad that Kitty and I aren't at each other's throats?" Rogue asked astonished and upset.

"In a way. If you two were cold to each other it would make things easier, but she wants to include you in everything. I want you to be happy Rogue, but I thought that I'd be the only one you would be happy with."

"hold on Bobby! You, are the one who cheated on me. You, are the one who chose Kitty. You, are the one who was weirded out when I took the cure. How could you think that my life would just stop because you weren't in it!? You weren't the center to my universe Bobby Drake. For your information Peter, Kitty and I are friends whether you like it or not. You need to stop being jealous because it's ridiculous." If she wasn't still attached to the heart monitor she would have stormed out on him.

The action wasn't necessary because Logan seemed to have caught the end of Rogue's spiel and Bobby was currently high tailing it to the elevator.

Rogue sighed heavily and threw her head back to lie on the cushioned surface. She brought her arm to rest across her forehead as if to block the light fixtures.

Storm approached the bed with Logan close by.

"It's been a long couple of days."

Rogue simply nodded. She was too tired to try and play up conversation with the woman.

"Hank, can she be moved upstairs?" Storm asked. The quiet beast quickly gave a long speech about watching over Rogue once she is moved upstairs just in case she passed out again. Logan informed them that he would be keeping an eye on her. That was not up for discussion so Rogue didn't try to fight it.

* * *

Once upstairs Rogue settled into her sheets as best as she could. Logan knocked a little while later and came in slowly.

"just checking on you kid." His rough voice from before had softened slightly.

From her bed she could only see the dark outline of her muscular protector. She turned her head as he began to back out of the room, shoulders protruding to meet the doorframe.

"Logan…"

He paused and closed the door so he was further into her bedroom. He stood leaning against the wall.

"yeah?" He responded in a low tone.

"Do you think it's possible that my powers might be messed up because I took the cure?"

He was quiet for a few seconds before saying, "Whatever is happening to you…we'll figure it out."

"how can you? We had no idea how the cure worked yet hundreds of mutants lined up no questions asked. I half thought that the government had set it all up as a ploy to poison us off. When the woman rolled up my sleeve I braced myself for death." She hadn't opened up to anyone about that day. While she didn't expect Logan to understand she felt as though he were the only person in the school that would listen.

"I don't know what to say kid… I've been there Rogue. I've been ashamed and confused about being a freak. Thing is you can't have it both ways. We are what we are. Our lives before this, before your powers kicked in, it doesn't matter. If I've learned anything lately it's that the past should stay buried because we only have enough room for what's going to happen today."

They had drifted back into Jean territory and Rogue hit herself inside. He made a lot of sense though. Rogue knew she could never be that innocent girl that she was before that day when she had her first kiss. She'd seen too much. She'd escaped death too many times.

And for the millionth instant she was reminded of John. In their past they had been friends. The three amigos had lived carefree. Today they were completely different people. Was it possible for them to have a future of any rendition if the here and now was so messed up?

That image before she had blacked out of John turning his head into the empty room might have been a moment created by Rogue's imagination, but either way she knew he had to be out there. He had to be a different man today from that boy who had so blindly followed Magneto into the helicopter at Alkali Lake.

* * *

Whilst Rogue slept another mutant was spending another sleepless night at a computer consul. John was monitoring the news reports and government channels that the Brotherhood had managed to gain back in a short time.

He hardly noticed his blue companion watching him curiously. She knew that something had happened while the Pyro was free of Magneto. Something had changed in her as well, yet here they were serving a man who had disowned them so easily. For Mystique she blamed herself for not expecting Magneto's reaction to the loss of her powers. Upon getting them back she didn't run to him immediately. Instead she formed her own plans. This time she swore things would go her way, as Magneto was not let in on his position as her puppet.

"Pyro." She whispered.

He nearly jumped from his seat, but as he whipped his head around to meet her eyes he had composed his face.

"I thought Pietro was on duty after me."

"he is. I need you to do a job for me." She walked over to him with a tray. It had a white sheet over the contents.

"what's the job?" he asked as though he would even be given the chance to refuse.

"Bring this to Room 13."

He eyed her curiously and although he was confused, he obeyed. Sick with himself for slipping back into his position so easily with Mystique and Magneto. Magneto had left her there as a human. John could still remember the last look that had passed between them on that day. Hesitation.

Now as she stood before him in her natural state he could almost write the last months off as a dream. The Brotherhood was reassembling and while Magneto had used John as his second in command before, this time he was avoiding the subject with the Pyro. John wondered if Magneto trusted him anymore. He wondered if Magneto trusted anyone at all.

"Pyro." His created name vibrated off the steal walls.

He shook away his thoughts and grabbed the tray quickly. He headed down a long corridor to a door with '13' twisted on the front. Turning the knob he could barely see in the darkness, but he didn't mind. Setting the tray on the nearest table he clicked his lighter on and used his hand to light up the room.

A small voice broke from the corner.

"Why are you doing this?"

"It's what is best right now. Your powers are changing too much and we don't want you roaming around. It's not safe for you."

"He doesn't care what is safe for me. He's afraid I'll run and tell the X-men about his plans."

"Teva…"

"you know it's true yet you stand back and let this happen."

"we're only trying to do what's best. Now eat." He pulled the sheet off her tray with his unlit hand.

She moved towards the tray and as she came into the light he saw her frail form launch herself for the food. He realized that he was staring when her eyes met his with such a force that he backed towards the door.

"They'll kill you too." She said simply. John couldn't believe the change in this girl he had found not long ago tangled in her mother's arms while the building burned down around them.

He closed the door and went into the hallway.

"suck it up. You are not some girl. You are Pyro. People fear you." He breathed in.

"whatever you have to tell yourself." Mystique was waiting in the control room.

"shut it blue." He said with a warning tone.

"you know this is why he doesn't trust you. You've become too weak. Too soft for your own good."

"I told you Mystique -" he lit his hand

She cut him off by saying, "The government is going to find Eric and when they do I hope you'll step up."

"you sound like you know something he doesn't."

"don't you?"

The flame played at his fingertips. The anger inside him was nearly brimming over.

"Torch me and you'll never know."

The flame sizzled in his palm.

* * *

The next few days for both Pyro and Rogue involved training.

Pyro demonstrated new tactics for the brotherhood recruits.

Rogue worked up her strength. Even though Peter had offered to help her, Rogue was too afraid to be that close to anyone with her powers being out of control. He had tried to reassure her that she wouldn't hurt him, but she didn't care.

The gloves which she had hated for so long were slipped back onto their rightful place. She wasn't going to take any chances.

As Pyro attempted to teach the brotherhood members, Pietro was becoming even more frustrated with the fire manipulator. He was vying for Magneto's second in command and he thought Pyro was his only competition. Unbeknownst to the speedster, Pyro wasn't sure he wanted that title. Yet here they were duking it out.

"that the best you got fire bitch?" Pietro quipped as John was recovering from a blow to his back.

"funny. Real amusing that I'm the bitch coming from a guy looking like that." Pyro gestured to Pietro's tight silver shorts and sleeveless t-shirt.

Pietro's face grew red with fury. He raced towards Pyro. Somehow John was able to unlock his flame just in time and singe part of Pietro's shoulder. The speedster fell to the ground in agony.

The scarlet witch went over to the quicksilver. She smiled at John, but still looked a little concerned for her brother.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Rogue dodged another electricity bolt from the simulated Storm in the danger room. She ran across the room as the wind began to swirl around her into a cyclone. Rogue felt her ponytail whip in all directions as her feet began to feel weightless. The cyclone was too close for her liking. Running to the nearest corner, Rogue braced herself, ready to jump out of the way. Just as the cyclone was about to hit the corner the double doors to the danger room slid open and there was Kitty laughing alongside a large Peter. Distracted by their intrusion, Rogue missed her moment to jump and was pulled into the wind. Her feet lifted off the ground and she was flying uncontrollably.

"Rogue!" Kitty yelled over the whirling in Rogue's ears.

"End program!" Peter yelled.

Immediately the wind was gone and Rogue was falling to the floor. With a large thud she sighed heavily at her stupidity. She let herself get distracted and taken by surprise.

Peter and Kitty dropped their gym bags and ran to Rogue's side. Peter grabbed her arm to help her up, but Rogue tried to pull away.

"just forget what you are about to say and let us help you." Peter said.

Rogue caved in as Peter helped her. Surprisingly there was no pull. Rogue still could not understand what her powers were doing. Was the fact that Rogue didn't want to hurt Peter so badly the driving force in her powers shutting down in that moment?

"looks like you've been in here a while." Kitty said referring to the multiple scenarios displayed out on the floor.

"yeah."

"you missed dinner." Peter said.

"I'll live." Rogue smiled to reassure her friend, but he wasn't letting her off that easily.

"You can't keep shutting everyone out Rogue."

"I know that. One day you'll all come rushing back into my head." She half joked.

"not funny." Kitty stated.

"I know. I know." Rogue tried to brush them off their serious tones. "anyways I should go hit the showers." She started to walk out of the room.

"Hey Rogue…I know you want to be ready for a fight, but sometimes all the preparations still aren't enough. Don't go overboard okay?" Kitty said.

Rogue had to admit that she was determined to learn quickly and build her strength along the way. She did want to be ready for the next fight. With Bobby hauled up in his studies, refusing to train much it seemed like the next gen of X-men were falling apart a bit.

Rogue couldn't help but feel a little responsible.

* * *

Back at the brotherhood headquarters, Magneto was laying out his plan of attack on the government. He had been secretive about what he was building in preparation, but John could hear the older mutant at work during the early morning hours.

Mystique often gave Pyro the knowing looks as their discussions surrounded the future of their brotherhood.

Pyro didn't like being in the dark. He really hated not knowing what Magneto was planning. Magneto was spending too much time with Teva and while John didn't like it he couldn't really say anything about it.

Magneto walked out into the main living area where John stood playing with his old lighter, aiming his fingers to shoot concentrated blasts at a target. Quicksilver was watching the newscast with a few other mutants. Mystique was sitting over a few files, ignoring everyone else.

"I want a team of six formed in the next hour. I need you to meet with me before our next attack on the government warehouses."

John made a move to go towards Magneto, but their leader waved him off.

"you my boy will have a separate job with Mystique." John looked at Mystique as she smiled all to intentionally. Quicksilver was already glaring at his competition. Pietro gathered up 5 other people as he took control and moved them to Magneto's room.

"what is he up to?" John said more towards Mystique although it wasn't a question for her to answer.

* * *

Reports came rushing in quickly. The Brotherhood was back. The government soldiers were currently fighting them off at one of their facilities. The news didn't state that this facility was one of three that were responsible for the new technology to fight and kill off the mutants. Magneto knew that. Charles had a feeling.

Here they were suiting up. Wolverine and Storm taking command. Waiting for Bobby to appear. Peter helped Kitty get her gloves situated.

As Rogue began to take a uniform off the shelf, Wolverine yanked her gloved hand away from the wall case.

"no."

"you need all the help you can get." Rogue fought back.

"Rogue. Your powers-"

"are a non-issue. I'm ready Logan. I've trained. Let me help." She had said it with such confidence that Logan had to take a moment to seriously consider her proposition.

Luckily to Rogue's relief, Storm came over before Logan could think of another reasonable way to object.

"Peter and Kitty go get the jet started. Logan, better do one last call for Bobby. And you Rogue, get dressed quickly." Rogue smiled in a silent 'thank you'; however, Storm did not linger because there was a job to be done and they knew that they were wasting time.

"Just like the kid to not respond." Logan complained once they were off in the jet.

"maybe he was sleeping and didn't hear the call?" Kitty offered.

"no, ice-man is acting more like an ice-child." Logan fumed again.

"It's okay. We don't need him. You've gone up against worse with less people." Rogue offered as reassurance.

There was a long silence as they quickly flew to the location; however, Rogue could hear her heart pounding in her eardrums. She wasn't sure why she was so nervous. After all she had told them that she was ready for whatever came.

Peter squeezed her hand from across the elbow rests. She smiled.

* * *

Landing on the ground, the team was maneuvering through the woods surrounding a military base of operations.

As they peered from the edge of the compound, Storm quickly muttered out orders.

"Alright this is it. We've all seen the schematics for this place and we assume they'll be hitting the main warehouse, but who knows. Once we get in there I want Collosus to secure and humans. Rogue and Kitty you go in for more recon. I want all the computer files. We can always take advantage of a bad situation and up our intel. Logan and I are on main detail dealing with the Brotherhood. Got it?"

"aye aye captain" Logan mused. Storm shot him a death glare for joking around.

"Got it." Peter offered instead. Kitty and Rogue simply nodded.

As they ran closer to the building Peter went first past the open doors. Storm and Wolverine leant against the opening to inspect the situation. Storm motioned for Kitty to go through a side wall.

Once in place Kitty stopped to pull Rogue's upper arm.

"I got to get us through here. Think you'll be okay with piggybacking on my power?"

Rogue was confused. Why would she have a problem? Evidently this confusion showed on her face as Kitty continued,

"I just mean with your wonky powers…and the fact that you've never done this with me…"

Rogue huffed a quiet laugh and smiled, "you think too much Shadowcat."

The next moment sent Rogue grasping onto Kitty's hand as she pulled them both through a thick metal wall. Recovering from the new sensation, Rogue quickly followed Kitty as they ducked and ran alongside the back.

Rogue could hear a familiar cackling laugh from the center of the warehouse. She peeked her head over a few crates to see Pietro standing with his hands on his hips and legs spread in an authoritative stance.

Not far from him were other mutants destroying the contents of the crates. A few human scientists had been rounded up. They looked terrified as each was glancing over the dead soldier's bodies and their seemingly crazed captors.

Kitty yanked Rogue's arm to follow.

Outside Peter was dealing with a mutant nicknamed 'avalanche'. While he had read the profile he hadn't encountered the guy first hand. Avalanche stomped the ground, causing a small vibration to knock the Collusus off his feet. However, Peter recovered quickly.

Storm and Wolverine entered the Warehouse prepared. Storm had already prepped a storm to loom overhead. Wolverine as usual ran in with his claws out.

The group focused on the two older X-men as Kitty unlocked the main lab door for Rogue to slip through. Once inside Kitty placed a USB into the main computer. Rogue hacked into the server to transfer the data. While doing so they didn't hear the door open and a new mutant smashed a few guns that the scientists were working on. Kitty jumped.

Rogue kept working on the computer.

"They send two little girls to get the goods?" he laughed.

"guess we figured girls are smarter than boys." Kitty chipped in.

his face hardened. "watch it little girl. I was gonna be real nice and take you down to Quicksilver, but now I'm thinking I won't be as nice."

"aww that's too bad." Kitty faked with sarcasm before turning to Rogue and whispering, "keep downloading no matter what."

Rogue nodded.

He rushed Kitty then. She tried to step further away from Rogue. He tried to land a power punch, but she phased through it. Then she grabbed his arm and crashed it into a lab table. The table shattered and Kitty was astonished that he hardly seemed to feel it.

He smiled then and through her across the room into a wall where she collapsed to the floor. She got up, a little dazed.

In the meantime Rogue stepped away from the computer.

"no! he's mine. Keep it going!" Kitty yelled at Rogue. Kitty then sprang onto one of the tables and began throwing items at the mutant. He grabbed the table legs and shoved it across the floor. She grabbed onto the hanging light fixture and swung to kick him in the face.

* * *

Meanwhile…

John ran from one of the smaller buildings on the compound. Mystique met him outside it with Magneto by her side.

"got it. All the information on tracking the other members is in there. A few are still locked up, but shouldn't be a problem."

Magneto gave a thin smile.

Mystique saw Avalanche being beat down by Peter.

"Should we engage with their little battle?"

Magneto sighed as if he annoyed.

"fine. Take the X-mutant out. I had such hope in these boys."

They all approached. John shot a flame into his palm. Colossus saw them approaching. Avalanche was out cold, but the army soldiers began to collect their stun guns and aim.

Magneto raised his hand to attempt to take the guns away, but he had no effect. The government had learned and had made them plastic.

Pyro however shot out his flame in their direction. Colossus powered up and sheiled the soldiers; however, one took a shot at him instead. The effects were instantaneous. His powers were on the fritz. He collapsed to the ground and began spasming.

"another reason their war is so futile." Magneto mused.

Hands burned, many soldiers retreated.

Mystique stood over Colossus.

"you'll live." She said coldly.

Stepping over his body she continued into the warehouse.

Inside Storm had used the lightening to punch through the rooftop and it was now pouring within and outside the building.

Seeing Magneto, Wolverine immediately dropped the mutant he was fighting and ran towards him.

"Logan! No!" Storm yelled as Magneto raised his hand and pulled at Logan's claws.

"you never learn do you? A pity for someone who should be so smart."

Logan however smiled.

"not as powerful as you were bub." It was true normally Logan would have been easily maneuvered in every which direction; however now Magneto could only hold the Xmutant back. He couldn't even lift Logan.

"I'm powerful enough." He said as he twisted his hand and Wolverine gasped in pain as his claws were being cut into other parts of his hands.

Quicksilver ran circles around Storm, stealing her breath. Storm's lightening disappeared from her hands and she fell gasping.

"Get what we came for?" Magneto asked Quicksilver. Pyro knew there was an alternative plan involving these six, but now he felt a stronger sense of dread.

Mystique eyed Pyro and winked. That made him even more disturbed.

"Almost." Quicksilver sped to the back room.

* * *

Inside Rogue had abandoned the computer to help Kitty. They were both bruised and suspended by his hands around their necks. He had them up against a wall, his back to the main door in as Quicksilver busted in.

"Let's go." Quicksilver said in a dark voice.

The mutants grinned and proceeded to throw both girls through the windows into the main compound.

Kitty was lying on her back and Rogue was coughing blood, heaved on her knees.

They both tried to get up.

When Rogue lifted her head she immediately saw Magneto playing with Logan. Then her eyes locked into John's own.

His expression changed into anger. She knew then that he must have been playing her the entire time; however, his eyes left hers and his face was full of rage as it set on the mutant whom she had been battling. He didn't move though.

Storm was attempting to get up and as she fought once again she tried to free the scientists. Kitty was still dazed.

Logan was screaming in pain. Rogue knew what she had to do then. She got to her feet and rushed towards the three Brotherhood leaders. She ran past Logan, screaming Magneto's name with a fury. She might have made it to him. Even landed a few blows, but suddenly Quicksilver was there and he was injecting her.

"No!" she heard John yell in a pained voice.

Rogue's world turned upside down and while she felt her body being heaved over someone's shoulder she did not know whose shoulder it was. Even as her mind fought to ignore the drowsiness now shooting through her system, she heard Logan being dropped and thunder raging.

* * *

**Author's Note:** WOW, if you guys have been still hanging on then this chapter is for you and all my lovely reviewers. YOU ALL KEEP ME GOING!

shout outs to: hotbritt500, RogueNya, myrmidryad, PyroWhore and of course ebuchala for making me feel loved and helping me to continue on!!!

I can't begin to explain my absence or excuse it. Let me just tell you that I have been studying abroad while writing the last few chapters and then I came home from that country and sort of got busy with real life.

Oh well. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! It's a little different because I wanted to add in John's side a bit. I also feel a bit weird uploading it cus I wrote it on diff days and in parts so I hope it flows well enough. I'm also terrible with brotherhood members and powers so that may be why the fight may seem a little dull. Oh well, it's meant to be more Rogue & John then anything else! Tell me if you love it or hate it PLEASE.


	14. Believe Me

**Spun**

**By Liz Wyatt**

WARNING: apologies to TRUE X-men comic book fans because I really must seem to be going off book here. I'd like to think I'm a big fan, but to avoid flamey comments, you were warned.

**Chapter Fourteen: Believe Me

* * *

**

_I don't want to be the one to blame  
You like fun and games  
Keep playing em  
I'm just saying  
Think back then  
We was like one and the same  
On the right track  
But I was on the wrong train  
Just like that  
Now you've got a face to paint  
And the devil's got a fresh new place to play  
In your brain like a maze you can never escape the rain  
Every damn day is the same shade of grey_

_-Fort Minor_

* * *

At first all that would connect through her ears and into her brain were the muddled sound of voices.

There was also a continuous ringing that prevented her from thinking straight.

She imagined that Magneto's men must have drugged her. The question was in between the time she'd blacked out and now had the X-team rescued her or was she in hostile territory?

The next thing she attempted to do was open her eyes; however, the fluorescent bulbs were too bright for her pupils to adjust. Instead a blinding pain shot through her head.

An attempt to move her arm solidified her worries. Squinting, she pulled her arm away from the table that she was occupying only to discover that she was in padded restraints.

Her eyes widened, forgetting the lights she tried to rip her arms free. She found surprisingly that her legs were free.

Shifting to angle her body so that her legs were rolled onto one side, she attempted to slip them up in order to propel the restraints off with a force. She realized that the metal legs of the bed were not so forgiving as they creaked beneath her.

It was then that the voices stopped and Rogue registered that they had been closely outside the door. She had been alone and now she'd invited in the enemy. The woman said something and the door began opening.

Rogue slipped her feet quickly down and turned her head away from the door.

"When will she wake up? I am tired of waiting" the female complained while stepping into the room and walking to the opposing side. She examined Rogue's face as if she knew that the girl was faking.

"I want to know what he wants with her. What was the point of bringing her here? She's not even a mutant anymore." That was definitely John's voice that Rogue registered even through the dull ringing.

He hadn't stepped that far into the room.

"maybe he wants to use her as a bargaining chip. It's not you should question. Besides, we all thought we weren't mutants anymore. Now look at us." Rogue noted that it was Mystique speaking.

"see that doesn't make sense. If you and Magneto are back to normal then why hadn't Rogue changed back when I saw her? She got the cure before him."

"maybe her power wasn't as powerful. How the hell should I know. Do I look like that furry blue doctor that the X-men run to?" She moved back around the table and to the door.

"You will stay guard on her door and inform me when she's ready to play."

It wasn't a question. It was an order and he knew it.

"aye aye captain." He huffed.

"try to perk up Pyro. Seems he trusts you a little more since the last mission. Maybe you can finally wipe that smug grin off of the runner's face." She sauntered past him amused.

Pyro knew that her smile could only mean devilish things. He often wondered if she would inevitably turn on him. Yet somehow he trusted her more than Magneto because she didn't pretend to want to be the leader. She was far cleverer then that to be upfront.

After Mystique closed the door, Rogue felt her palms throb from her nails that had dug deeper in her fist during the conversation. She wanted to jump off the table and smack him. She wanted to yell at him for leaving her at the hotel, for rejoining Magneto, and for deserting their friendship in the first place.

All this anger and rage was burning inside of her. Then when she was nearly ready to open her eyes and start attacking, she felt the slightest touch to her hand.

First it was fingertips, then he was holding her arm out and up away from her body. As the restraint was being slipped off her arm, his hand clasped her own and his other pressed two fingertips to her pulse point.

She was certain that her heart was racing.

"you can stop pretending you're asleep," his words bellowed close to her ears.

Her eyes immediately shot open and she used her now exposed hand to propel a punch into his jaw. As he stumbled back a bit, she rushed to undo the remaining restraint. Then he was back up.

"Jeez, was it really necessary to punch me again?" he continued to rub his reddened jaw.

"Next time I'll make sure that you're down for the count," she shot at him as she began hopping off the table in a ready stance.

"I'm not going to fight you, you crazy freak. There's no point in trying to escape either. You're safer in this room. Everything leads through packs of eager mutants just waiting to take you on." He grinned with all his smugness behind the action.

"Comforting. How do I know you're not lying?" she flashed back to when he had asked her that question not long ago. He too showed recognition in his eyes. That recognition within him did not help Rogue in her attempt to disregard her feelings about him in order to escape with a clear mind.

"you don't, but trust me when I say I owe you one for saving my ass at the fire. So, I guess I'd like to pay you back someday."

She moved around the table towards him, towards the door. His eyes began searching her own for an indication of the plan that she was forming. He licked his lips as a reflex, seemingly waiting for her to pounce for the door.

"then why not start now? Release me. Let me go live my little boring nobody type life. It will be like I was never here. Like we never knew each other." Part of her wondered if that life was even possible now. Could she just pretend that her powers weren't coming back? Could she convince the X-men to leave her name off speed dial?

"Wish I could babe, but that would be a solid no."

"babe? Did you really just call me that?" she was letting the anger rush over her. Maybe if she focused on that she might survive.

"Listen, I don't know why you're here, but my advice is just play along for now."

"great advice. What, are you just playing along too?" she challenged. He stepped towards her, unsure. She didn't know if he was offended or relieved. His face was back to the stone cold killer façade that he had been carrying the past few years. She sought his eyes for confirmation that the guy she knew was still in there somewhere.

"guess not…" she said simply. She broke her focus with his eyes and began assessing the distance to the door once again. He took another step forwards as his shoulders relaxed in a long sigh and his mouth opened to seemingly explain; however, the door swung open to reveal the mutant that had plagued Rogue's nightmares for far too long.

"glad to see you have rejoined the living Rogue," Magneto stated with a crooked smile.

As he stepped further in the room, Rogue backed away a bit, arms still ready to be launched.

"Can't say I'm glad to be here. Not sure why'd you want to keep a human locked in your basement. What could you possibly gain from me?"

Magneto laughed then. It was a deep laugh that caused goose bumps to rise on Rogue's exposed arms.

"You my dear are hardly human. We both know that the cure has not lasted."

His eyes created their own smile as Rogue's own danced between each mutant and the exit. To say her heart was simply racing was an understatement. She tried to focus her thoughts. She had to turn her attention away from John. It wasn't helping her have a clear mind at all.

"still…it is curious that your powers should be so late in returning. From what Pyro has told us, you are quite the little fighter now. No matter though. I'm sure you're true powers will return. Maybe they already have right now. Let's hope shall we, for your sake."

Rogue wondered if he knew the truth.

She wondered if her body language was giving her away. She prayed that Peter's training was helping, but she knew that her own fears were overtaking her.

Magneto walked closer and she quickly backed even further towards the wall.

"what? You going to use me as some bargaining chip for the X-men? You know they'll never take the bait." Rogue stated with as much cockiness as she could muster.

"no, no. I have much bigger plans for you." He then turned to the other two.

"Mystique, give her the yellow one and drop her in with the other girl. I'm sure she'd love to have a roommate."

* * *

With that he left and Mystique began pulling out a syringe.

Rogue knew that it was now or never. Her adrenaline kicked in as she bolted for the door. Mystique was distracted and as she ran by the Pyro he grabbed her forearm only to feel a pull that drained into her own skin. His eyes widened, as did Rogues. She quickly let go and continued out the door.

"Stop her! Dammit Pyro!" Mystique yelled.

Rogue was down the hallway and into the main command center when she saw more mutants huddled around a TV in the corner. A few looked up as she locked eyes and propelled herself away from them and instead towards the staircase.

John was closing in when he saw a white blur knock her straight down into the metal steps. Her impact created a ringing noise throughout the main room.

She rolled from her face plant to more of a sitting position. Her shoulder was slumped against the wall and her other hand was reaching up to cover her forehead. Her eyebrow and forehead were pumping out a sickening amount of blood. Then she saw the mutant who had caught her off guard. Quicksilver was standing at the foot of the step grinning like an idiot.

Rogue panicked and tried scrambling as if to crawl up the steps.

Quicksilver looked ready to ambush, but Pyro reached the stairs yelling,

"no! leave her. Go back to what you were doing."

The younger mutant paused challenging Pyro with cold eyes.

"you wish you had the power to tell me what to do. Too bad, you don't flame thrower."

"well I do Pietro. Go. Now." Mystique said firmly. The boy sauntered away no longer amused.

Pyro climbed the few steps and rolled Rogue to a seated position once again. Mystique held the syringe.

Rogue turned to her former friend.

"Please John. Don't do this." He could see the fear in her eyes. He hadn't seen her this scared since before he had left. She was so strong now, yet here she was bleeding out, trapped in enemy territory.

Her eyes closed as the pain from the injection sunk in. Her body slowly relaxed until she passed out.

Pyro caught her up against himself.

"Dump her in room 13. Then you and I need to talk Pyro." Mystique urged him with authority in her voice.

* * *

Rogue woke up a while later in a different bed. She thought that she was still dreaming because the room was barely visible. The only light source was a single candle lit on a small table.

Shifting to a seated position, she reached for her forehead, remembering her injury.

There was a large bandage across the area above her right eyebrow. As she pressed the bandage she felt a sharp pain behind her eyes and she hissed in frustration.

"you shouldn't play with it." A small voice broke through the darkness.

She wasn't alone. In a dark room where she couldn't see anything properly. Was this some kind of dungeon? Was she the thing in the basement? Rogue's mind raced before she could properly speak.

"yeah. Guess not…" Rogue said quietly.

"He doesn't usually leave a candle. He's afraid that they'll find out." The voice came again.

"who?" Rogue asked.

"Pyro. Who did you think? Did you really get hit that hard?"

"hey, why are YOU ragging on me?"

Then she stepped into the light and sat on the edge of Rogue's bed.

"Teva?" Rogue said astonished.

"yeah."

"I…I thought Mystique…but you're real?" Rogue stammered out.

"you aren't making a whole lot of sense Rogue. Maybe you should see a doctor. If you ever get out of here that is."

Rogue moved to sit with her legs crossed, closer to Teva. "How long have you been here?"

"hard to say." Teva looked different. Rogue noticed that her clothes were covered in dirt. Her hair was sticking out in random places. This child did not look like the girl she had met on that rainy evening.

"what's the last thing you remember before being here?"

"Pyro. There was a fire. You showed up and then I was kidnapped while I was running away. I didn't want to run. He told me to."

Rogue smiled sadly. She didn't know if she could have even stopped Mystique from taking Teva, but the knowledge that she had been so close and had done nothing was adding to her guilty conscious.

"do you know why they haven't let you go? It's not like you're any use to them. Unless you want to join up."

"hell no. they haven't done anything but keep me locked in this room. That blue chick comes in to play nurse and give me some meds every once in a while, but other than that they don't care about me. Except…"

"Except what?" Rogue pressed.

"The old guy came in a few times. He wanted me to use my powers. I didn't want to, but he forced me to wear this thing around my neck and then I had to do it."

Rogue's eyebrows furrowed in worry.

* * *

Meanwhile Pyro was analyzing the report for the brotherhood's last outing. X-men weren't the only ones interested in having some order to the chaos. These reports were usually thoroughly detailed when they weren't in deep hiding or on the run. Lately however more details were being left out. There weren't any concrete plans being formed yet mutants were sent out on supply runs almost daily at the beck and call of Magneto.

"what are you planning," Pyro asked under his breath into the pulsing computer screen.

"for the future." Mystique caught the fire starter off guard. She hadn't made any noise to indicate her presence, but he was sure that he must have been watching him for a while.

"what?" Pyro had regained his composure as she circled from behind the monitor to stand at his side.

"you asked what he was planning. He is planning for his future."

"and you're still not going to enlighten me, oh wise one as to what that really means?" his voice was dripping with frustration.

"let's just say he's been obsessing over your little girlfriend for months now. Guess he figures she's where it all went wrong. Liberty Island was a foolproof plan until that animal came back for her." Pyro noticed her hand instinctively reach for the scar across her stomach. When she caught his eye she quickly dropped her hand and moved in closer to his personal space, threatening.

"you know she will never be one of us. She will always be too 'good' for there to be any sort of happy outcome." Mystique took pleasure in the anticipation of his reaction.

"what makes you think I care? I know who she is. I have always known. You think I would have walked away from them if I gave a crap about any of them?" he saw her try and figure him out, but he also knew his face would not relay any more than he wanted it to. He'd thought about it too much, convincing himself that he had left because there could never be anything for him at the school. There couldn't be anyone.

"What he has planned for her will either work or kill her. Maybe both. I say you get on board now or be prepared to fight your way out of this with no solution."

"we're supposed to be some kind of brotherhood." Pyro smirked.

Mystique laughed as she distanced herself from him, "well, families fight."

Just then Magneto stepped into the room with his long cape trailing.

"bring them both, now."

Then he was gone before Pyro could open his mouth.

Mystique told him to grab Rogue while she would get Teva. As the walked to the room, Mystique admitted that she had no interest in being drained if the 'x-brat' decided to get rough.

* * *

The door clicked open and Teva quickly blew out the candle as the artificial light from the hallway surrounded Pyro's figure.

He leaned down towards the bed. Rogue spoke cautiously, "John?"

He didn't respond verbally. He merely grabbed her upper arm and dragged her out of the bed.

Once in the hallway Rogue saw Mystique go in the darkness and drag Teva out.

"let go of me!" Rogue yelled as she broke from Pyro's grasp. She looked towards his face, but his eyes wouldn't meet hers.

"shut up and move." He commanded.

"what the hell is your problem? Look at me!" Rogue yelled, but he didn't respond. "Look at me!" This time he did, but it wasn't the expression she expected. This was the look she had seen before. The look that used to creep up on his face when they were talking and Bobby would interrupt. Back then John would quickly laugh it off and leave the room; however, there was no Bobby. There was no laughing.

"come now. Move along." Mystique jabbed Rogue in the back as the foursome moved down the hallway and into the main room. They headed up the stairs into an open room that housed all their equipment and supplies. Rogue realized that the compound had to be underground. That was why the X-men had not been able to track the Brotherhood easily.

Once they were further into the room Rogue saw something that made her blood run cold. Her feet instinctively stopped and she was frozen until Mystique shoved her shoulders forward.

"What…is that supposed to do?" Teva asked Rogue.

"you do not want to know." It came out as an automatic response in her dazed state.

Rogue barely noticed the mutants who had apparently come to watch the show until she recognized the one who had taken her down. She threw her coldest look in the direction where he was strewn out on a few boxes. He blew her a kiss and laughed with a few other mutants at her expense.

Then there was nowhere else to go so they stopped. Mystique and Pyro stepped back from the prisoners. Magneto approached them. Immediately Teva's hands began fumbling together. As Rogue eyed the younger girls fighting, the hairs on her arm begun to stand up.

"I know you cannot control your powers. That is why I am here. I'm going to make them stop from hurting you anymore."

It took Rogue a second to register that he was speaking to Teva. The intention sounded honorable. Heck, she'd heard the Professor give a similar speech before; however, more refined and direct.

Now watching Teva closely, Rogue could only think of how different things would have been if Storm had found Teva that night instead of John.

"come here child." Teva didn't move and Rogue instinctively grabbed the young mutant to shift her own arms to rest on Teva's shoulders.

"really Rogue this is not necessary. You are just going to do more damage to yourself by prolonging this." He was so nonchalant about it that Rogue was even more infuriated.

"she's untamed. You really think a human can help her? After all that is what you said you are now, correct? A plain, simple, weak human."

"Oh just give me another round and I'll show you how weak I am." Rogue threatened.

He stepped towards them and this time Rogue hardly had time to think before the air turned unbearably hot. Her hands felt as though thousands of shocks were jolting into her fingertips and surging through her body. Teva was yelling out in her own distress as Rogue tried to pry her hands off the girl's shoulders.

Teva screamed as all her hair was spread standing away from her body and her feet began to lift her off the ground. Some unseen force threw rogue away.

Then it was over. Magneto had pulled her back to earth and onto the ground in front of him. Rogue was flat out on the ground, but she rolled to sit up. She noticed that all the mutants were staring strangely at Teva, but no one had moved.

* * *

Magneto unveiled his machine to the brotherhood as Rogue rolled up to her feet. She was still wavering from the pain that had surged through her body. She didn't know if she should approach Teva again or stand her own ground.

"This my brotherhood is the final stages for the project you have been helping to develop. A few years ago I had set the perfect plan to pay the humans the karma that they deserved for years of ridicule and harassment of our kind! The machine I built then was meant to transform all the humans into creatures like us, but still inferior than us. Then those traitors came and the machine was destroyed by that animal Wolverine."

Rogue smiled remembering how Logan had fought for her even when he said he was leaving. He'd saved her from dying that night.

Magneto continued to pace around the open area.

"I have learned from that mistake. The answer is not to make the humans like us, but rather to have them feel the power we hold over them. Through this girl." Then he pointed to Teva whose eyes shot wide before scanning over to Rogue's face.

"we will be able to complete the process. She will be the first."

Teva began to back away; however, a female mutant grabbed her shoulders, pushing her forward.

"What do you mean the first? What do you want me to do?" Teva screamed.

"Something we all are born to do. You have lived so now you must serve your true purpose." Magneto said ominously.

Teva began thrashing about in her captor's arms. Magneto motioned for her to be brought forward. Mystique turned on the machine and Magneto moved the metal chair forward.

"No way are you getting me into that thing!" Teva yelled.

Magneto laughed slightly before saying, "Who said it was for you." Then Rogue felt two strong arms grab her own.

"What!?" Rogue yelled in anger. The mutants pushed her towards Magneto and Teva. Even as she struggled to push off the ground with her heels, there was no hope. They were too strong for her. Then she attempted to focus her powers into draining them. One keeled over quickly, but Rogue noticed that the other had ridiculous yellow gloves on.

"I told you to avoid the bare skin!" Magneto bellowed.

Rogue took the opportunity to smack a right hook into the gloved mutant. He stumbled before coming forward with his own punch. She fell to her knees and he continued to drag her.

"What's Rogue got to do with it?" Pyro asked. He attempted to sound nonchalant about it, but there was a hidden emotion betraying his stonewalls.

"She will be the vessel. The center to this entire operation my boy."

"I don't understand." Pyro said with a bit of concern pouring through. He looked in Rogue's direction as her face already showed a bit of bruising on her cheek to accompany her white bandage across her forehead.

"All will be clear in a few moments."

The gloved mutant lifted Rogue to her feet while Teva's captor pushed her to face her friend.

Magneto stepped next to the damaged girls with a grin plastered on his features. Something he didn't show often which only created a nauseous feeling in Rogue's stomach. Her head was still ringing from the punch, but she was desperately trying to focus on a way out.

"Now, take her power." Magneto commanded.

"No." Rogue whispered.

"Now!" Magneto yelled.

"Rogue?" Teva asked as if to see if the older girl had already created a new plan.

Pyro stood side by side with Mystique. He was torn. Part of him knew that Rogue could take Teva's power and the younger mutant would only be stunned like he was, but he also recalled the pain for both of them in that act.

"Stupid girl always have to ruin it!" Magneto roared before putting Rogue's hand onto Teva's exposed collarbone.

The surge through Rogue's body was different this time. She felt Teva's powers flowing into her own body. It was excruciating because Rogue couldn't control it though she tried. Teva began to have shallow breathing before crying out in pain.

Magneto continued to force Rogue's hand to stay put.

Through the screaming and her now drowning eyes Rogue could barely comprehend the shattering sounds of glass as the warehouse area was being invaded.

"No! Stop them now!" Magneto ordered to the brotherhood members. Pyro watched his fellow members rush between supplies to fight the X-men. He saw a streak of ice as someone was thrown into the air and frozen before crashing into a million pieces. A deep anger was building in the fire starter; however, when he turned to join the fight Mystique held his forearm. She ran past him in the direction of Wolverine.

Rogue panicked then. They'd come to save her, but she knew they were too late. Magneto was forcing her to kill Teva. She could feel Teva's heartbeat ringing in her own ears. Teva continued to scream her head off.

"No! Please! You're killing her!" Rogue shouted in a voice she had never heard from her own mouth. It was a shrill attempt.

"No, you are." Magneto smiled.

"John!" Rogue tried again. This time as Teva was slumping against Rogue and Rogue herself was exploding in pain from the younger girl's mutation, Pyro couldn't deny his feelings.

"Stop! She took the power. They can stop now!" He yelled above the noise of the battle raging around him. He stepped towards Magneto's unamused expression.

"It won't be complete until she retains the powers."

"Retains? What so you're just gonna go killing mutants so Rogue can absorb their powers? And for what?"

"You my boy are way beyond your time to question this. You stood by me. This insignificant crush is no use to you. You will never fulfill you full potential if you choose this girl over everything we have worked for." Magneto warned.

Pyro's eyes burned with flames. This was it. Just like Mystique had said, he had to make a choice. Everything he knew for a girl. It seemed easy. No girl was worth losing his family, but really what family would do this to him. Then he realized it. Rogue had never stopped caring about him. Him. Not the greater picture. Him. Her friend, who was watching her commit the act that she had always feared.

Without saying a word he clicked the fire to ignite in his palm.

"Let her go!" he said before pushing the flame towards his mentor.

Magneto pulled his hands away. Teva let out one last piercing scream while Rogue collapsed, barely breathing.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Props to my reviewers and everyone who is continuing to read! _The fact that you took the time to Review keeps me going, so thank you!!_

I will be wrapping this up within the next 2 chapters I hope.

Apologies for the delay (as per usual). Some _serious_ family stuff happened and I won't go into much more detail because it's messed and a big downer that you don't need.

Needless to say I don't think this chapter is as nice as I wanted it to be, but after seeing the Wolverine movie I knew I couldn't leave you all high and dry.


	15. This Is My Life

**Spun**

**By Liz Wyatt**

Chapter 15: This Is My Life

_When I met you_

_I was barely living_

_I was lost in the dark_

_But with the love_

_That you've been giving_

_I'm back from the dead_

_With you in my head_

_when I look in your eyes_

_I know you understand_

_That good things always_

_Seem to slip right through my hands_

_And everything but love_

_Is just grains of sand_

_But with you this is my life_

_-Fefe Dobson

* * *

_

They were running. That she knew for sure.

However, she was still uncertain if the shaking in her hands was being caused by pure adrenaline or the heaviness sitting in her chest from the sobs that had racked her body in the moments prior. There was an abrupt slacking in her arm as the person pulling her had stopped long enough for her body to crash into theirs.

"- your choice." Is all she heard. She knew he had been saying something but she had only focused long enough to hear the end of his out of breath rant.

"Rogue… Rogue!" Her shoulders were being shook now. Then his gloved hand forced her face to meet his own.

"Hey, did you hear me?" he asked. His eyes ran wild with his own adrenaline and an underlying concern.

She simply shook her heard to reply. The words seemed too far for her mind to connect them through her mouth. It didn't really matter though because he understood her all the same.

"I said that you have to decide. We can seek them out now and I'll take my chances escaping your bodyguard or you come with me immediately and we lay low. Thing is Rogue, I'm not sure I can go back now. I'm not sure I'll even make it to tomorrow knowing what I know. They're gonna hunt me down for this…" he paused seemingly lost in his own thoughts before continuing, "I won't stop until your safe, but you need to decide right now."

Although her mind could barely process what he was saying she knew what she said next would change everything between them. It was then that his words really hit her. The images were like a flame bursting with energy before her eyes as she saw him fighting Magneto. She saw bodies flying around the room. Some were her friends, struggling towards her direction. Others were the faces she had only seen before in data files contained within the mansion. There was someone calling out her name, but they were too far away. There was screaming. Tears streaming down a horrified face. Then she realized that face was her own. The tears she felt on her own face and the screaming from her own mouth seen through another's eyes.

"Rogue! God, I know this is difficult. I know this is pretty damn fucked up right now, but I can't do this. I…you have to…Rogue please we don't have time." There were sounds of an explosion and more screams ringing through the wooded area surrounding them. Rogue opened her mouth and forced out her only clear notion.

"He'll be looking for me. Tracking me. That's probably how he found the base."

"What?" The pyro was utterly confused and for a moment Rogue wondered if she was even making any sense.

"Logan! He'll be trying to find me."

"…Okay, so we…"

"Run!" Rogue yanked his arm this time as they made their way further into the forest.

* * *

They ended up on a back road, following it to a major road junction. After walking for miles they decided to stop at the only gas station they'd seen for miles. Although they had been running, both were now too tired to even jog. Their feet felt heavy and their heads light from the entire trauma.

Rogue decided to use the bathroom while John went inside the convenience store.

Opening the door, she first went to the sink. She washed the dirt and grime off of her fingertips before cupping the water to splash on her face. There was a stinging coming beneath her bandage as the water soaked into the white material. Rogue slowly began ripping the tape from across her face. The bandage fell away to reveal that her gash was still somewhat open. The water had only made it worse.

As Rogue sighed in frustration she peered to her own eyes in the smudged up mirror. Somehow there was a darkness within them that she hardly recognized. The image of her face screaming out before another's eyes filled her head again. With painful recognition she felt the essence of Teva running through her.

Rogue fought back tears as her stomach gave way and she sought solace in the toilet a few feet away. Heaving out her lack of contents, Rogue's chest kept constricting and her breath was shallow.

Before she could completely release the tears in her eyes there was a knock at the door.

She paused like a deer in headlights. What if it was Magneto? What is they'd found her. Was he going to kill her now or make her another pawn in his plan once again?

"Rogue?" a quiet voice reverberated underneath the door.

"Yeah, just a second." Standing, she washed her mouth out best she could with the water. Turning towards the door she prepared herself for whatever came next.

John had gotten them a lift into the city. Rogue had assumed he meant that they would be traveling by a stolen vehicle; however, she was stunned to see that he had in fact used his words instead of his fists to acquire them transport.

A heavyset man with a dusty trucker hat eyed her over as the two mutants approached his vehicle.

"Your girl looks like she's gonna be sick." The gruff driver stated.

The pyro glanced to his side where Rogue stood. She did look a bit paler than usual, but he just assumed she was as tired as he was. She refused to meet his eyes.

"She's fine." John responded.

"Just make sure she ain't spewing all over my haul kid."

With that John nudged Rogue to the boat that was clipped to the gruff man's pick up truck.

"Are we…why aren't we riding in the truck?" Rogue whispered to her partner.

"Trust me Rogue, this is a better deal. Not like I could have just ripped this guy off. We made a deal, so just get in the damn boat." The Pyro put his hand lightly over the small of her back, urging her to board the boat.

She did so without much more hesitation.

* * *

As she settled on worn in cushions of this small speedboat she recalled the way she had met Logan. How she had stowed away next to his motorcycle. Even with all the fear she had then, things had worked out for the best. Maybe fate would lend her another hand to repay her for the shitty one it had just dealt her.

As the engine began, Rogue suddenly wished to be in the truck rather than in her current surroundings. Even with the questionable man driving, the heater would most likely be on full blast. With her adrenaline kick behind her, she now realized that her body was producing little protection for her against the cool night air. She still wore the X-men uniform leather pants; however, someone had taken her jacket thus only leaving her in a ripped up tank top. She glanced over to her new partner who was seemingly scanning the tree lines.

When a large gust of the cool night air road through Rogue's back she shivered and quickly dropped off the cushion and sunk with a rather loud noise to the plastic basin.

John eyed her, "you okay there?" his voice wasn't concerned; rather it held a sarcastic undertone. It was as if in that moment all that had happened with Magneto was a lie. It was like one of these many times where Rogue would trip, fall, or do something quite embarrassing at the mansion and he would have always been the only one there to notice.

He was still eying her. Waiting for a reply.

"I'm fine. She replied with annoyance.

"Whatever you say." He stated before looking off in the distance once more.

"What are you looking for?" she asked as if she didn't already know the answer.

"Making sure we weren't followed. I told you they'll be coming after me since they know I'd never go back with you."

She thought about that. Did he mean that he would never take her back to the brotherhood or that he couldn't go to the mansion? She assumed it was the latter.

"You know… you could, come back that is," she offered.

"No, I really couldn't." He didn't elaborate although Rogue could tell there was more that he wanted to say. Instead she would be left to dwell on that later.

"Won't they guess where we're going?" she asked as she pulled her knees towards her body and proceeded to wrap her arms across them.

"They'll expect me to do certain things, yes but they won't know where we're going because I really have no idea either. This isn't some well thought out plan you know." He seemed to be upset with her once more. She took that to heart as she bit back at him.

"Maybe you should have just left me then. It would have saved you all this guilt about saving me."

That caught his full attention. He shifted around to face her from the elevated seat.

"You think I'm upset because I should have left you there? How can you say that!?"

"I understand. You gave up all your friends, your family-"

he cut her off, "my friends? Family? You really think anyone in that brotherhood would think twice killing me? We aren't some fun loving group who has picnics and basketball games on weekends. We are soldiers. We fight for our freedom from the humans who are trying to control or eradicate us. You don't understand anything Rogue!"

She decided to keep her mouth shut then. She was already exhausted and while their argument has gotten her blood pumping, she was still being thrashed to her core by the cool winds. Talking took too much energy she determined. She tried to create friction on her arms by rubbing her palms up and own her biceps.

"you cold?" he asked quietly.

She simply nodded, avoiding his gaze. He took off his leather jacket and passed it to her.

"thanks…" she whispered through chattering teeth. He produced a dramatic sigh as she slipped the jacket on. Eyeing him, Rogue watched as he slipped down from the seat so he was shoulder to shoulder with her.

"not like I get cold easily. Internal furnace and all." He stated.

She smiled slightly while still convulsing.

"Here." He sighed in frustration and began to move his hands towards her own. She scooted away from him quickly.

His face shone his shock.

"What the hell?" he basically shouted.

"You know my powers are back! I can't really control it!" she yelled back.

"I know that. I figured you'd absorb a little of my power and you wouldn't be so cold. I'm the one putting my life on the line. Don't think I forgot our little incident in Boston."

Her eyes widened.

"John, how do you know I'd even be able to pull away. I just…with Teva…I killed her John! I killed hr and now she's swimming around inside my head." She closed her eyes placing a hand across her forehead. "I can barely make out which voice is my own in here. I can't have you in here too! I can't have anyone…ever again. I won't."

Even with her eyes closed he could tell that she was near her breaking point when a tear escaped. He knew that he should do the proper thing and let her be, but he decided to press his luck.

"Now you're just gonna close up, shut down? I've seen you try and be 'normal' Rogue! I've seen you fail at that because it's pathetic." She opened her eyes and scoffed at his continuation at berating her.

"Normal is boring. You're not some helpless mutant anymore. You're not that little girl who came to Xavier's. I don't know if you'll ever get past this…but I do know you can't let this control you."

He slowly moved to sit by her side once more.

"Can we just worry about tomorrow when it comes? Right now I need to make it through the night and I'm scared to close my eyes…" Rogue said with utter exhaustion.

She closed her eyes and sunk her head into her arms.

She then felt his hand brush over her covered forearm.

"I'll wake you when we get there."

Even with all her confusion, lingering anger towards him, and frustration she lumped her head into his shoulder.

* * *

Rogue awoke a few hours later to the artificial street lamps breaching her personal space. They were on the outskirts of the city and the boat was slowing its' momentum from being toted by the truck ahead.

Turning her head ever so slightly she found that her squishy pillow was no longer her friend's shoulder, but instead he had somehow managed to lay his own head in her lap as she settled on his propped up bicep. She observed that they looked like a tangled mess of limbs. It amazed her how comfortable he was around her. He didn't seem to think twice about letting her absorb his power.

While she was still shocked and upset about his suggestion a few hours prior, she had to admire him for trying to help. Rogue knew all too well how difficult it was for him to show any kind of a thoughtful side. John Allderyce had always been cloaked in sarcasm to hide his secrets. Maybe that's why Rogue had been so drawn to Bobby in the first place. Bobby, unlike John, was an open book. Even when Bobby didn't want to say something it would be written all over his face for everyone to see.

Just as she was lost in her own thoughts, she felt John stirring in her lap. He seemed unaware off the situation or where he was. Then Rogue felt his hand squeeze her covered wrist. Then he moved up to her forearm and then her elbow. His body went rigid as he sprung to a seated position next to her.

He peered out of the corner of his eye, seemingly thinking up something to wash away what he had discovered.

As the truck stopped completely, she opted not to dwell on it.

"guess we're here?" she said with a slight questioning gaze towards her companion.

"guess so.." he moved up to the proper seat of the boat and began to take in their surroundings. He assessed the street names, signs, and buildings.

"end of the road you two." A gruff voice bellowed from the ground behind Rogue. She waited until John motioned for her and they descended the boat's ladder.

As they walked further into the city, Rogue wondered how she'd gotten this far. Not too long ago she was sitting on a park bench after fleeing the school. Now she couldn't wait to get back to some resemblance of her life.

With Teva's voice in her head she could hear what the younger girl's reaction would be. Teva would tell her take a look around before settling down. The kid had lost everything and still remained strong because she found something worth fighting for. It wasn't something that came to her, it happened to her. She saw the world running in fear from mutants and she trying to deny their existence.

Rogue knew she'd never be as reckless as the mutants she'd come across in the real world; however, she wasn't certain the X-men's plans worked either. There were too many confusing and contradicting ideas plaguing her future.

Just as her feet were getting ready to give out, John stopped ahead of her and turned to face her.

"This is it. I think we can crash here for the rest of the night. Then we'll figure out the rest later."

She simply nodded and followed him into a broken down building. Inside the staircase shook with each of their steps. Rogue thought it could cave in on them at any moment; however, John seemed unaffected. He looked determined and tired.

Stopping on the fourth level, John rapped his knuckles against a worn door.

A woman whipped open the door, angry.

"what the hell do you want at two in the morning?" the woman said before recognizing the mutant at her door and continuing, "Thought you'd gone and got yourself killed. It's been a good couple of months since you showed your face around these parts."

"I know. Been a bit Stell. I just need a place to crash and of course thought of your open door policy."

"you know it's the morning, handsome." Rogue rolled her eyes. Leave it John to pick the place with one of his admirers as a solution. The woman looked as if she could have been a few rounds with him and his friends. She was clearly comfortable with herself, even at 2 in the morning.

Stell, as John had identified her, looked past John in Rogue's direction.

"Who's the girl? You trade in the kid for a more willing model?" Stella clearly wasn't too excited by Rogue's presence.

John glanced back at Rogue before facing the older woman once more.

"drop it Stell. She's a friend. You gonna give us a room or not?"

"How long this time? You know you'll owe me extra for paleface here."

Rogue felt her blood begin to boil. She was frustrated enough with their situation and was nearing her past patience point. She wasn't one to sit and take someone's jab at her. Not now. Not from one of John's sleazy acquaintances.

John somehow seemed all too aware of Rogue's switch in demeanor.

"whatever you say. Room. Now." John demanded.

"Where are your manners honey? You think you can come up in here and order me around. You know better."

"okay I'm done with this John." Rogue huffed as she turned towards the stairs. John hurled himself in her direction. He grabbed her elbow in order to stop her.

"Hey, don't be like that." He said with sincerity in his eyes. She was taken aback by his quick demeanor alteration.

Stell seemed to be just as stunned.

"John, huh? Guess she's somebody important if she gets all the details."

"It's Pyro." He bit back at Stell.

"Fine. Last one down the hall is open. There's only a mattress, nothing fancy."

"Doesn't matter." John stated before motioning for Rogue to follow him past Stell's doorway. Both women exchanged a heated stare.

* * *

As John entered the room, he searched for the light switch. Clicking it up and down, nothing turned on.

"guess we'll have to do with no light." He stated before moving further into the room. Rogue stood in the doorway watching his shadowed outline move about the room. He opened a shade to let the street lamps flood through the grimy windows.

It didn't help too much. Now she could make out the lines of his face; however, the majority of his body was hidden. Closing the door behind her, Rogue moved into the room where an old mattress lay alone on the ground. There was a lone towel hanging in the bathroom that John took and placed over the worn mattress.

"It's better than a park bench."

"says you." She quipped back.

"Not like you're going to die from one night." He said with a sigh.

"just might contract something." She laughed inside at their situation.

"well if you wanted the Hilton then by all means go call your band of merry x-men and find your own god damn way home!" he yelled before falling back on the mattress in a huff.

She smiled towards him. She wasn't being serious before, yet he was completely riled up. It amused her. She moved towards him and peered down over him.

"What!?" he yelled in frustration.

"just waiting to see what comes out of your mouth next." She laughed. "you know I was hardly serious. This is fine."

His hardened face relaxed a bit; however, he was now angry with her for taking enjoyment at his expense. He was pouting like a child as she sat down next to him.

"You're ridiculous John Allderyce. You know that?" she asked.

"you're the one who is being ridiculous Rogue." He grumbled as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"aww, don't be like that. Come on…handsome." She used her best impression of Stell.

"shut it." He ordered.

"naw, it's too much fun seeing your squirm fireboy." She laughed once again as she peered down at his face from her sitting position.

"I'm warning you." He advised her.

"I wonder if your girlfriend's 'open door policy' applies to everyone. She could make a pretty penny off some of your friends." Rogue mused again.

With that John rolled up to sit and quickly forced Rogue's body to lie down beneath him. He had her pinned with her arms secured in his hands, parallel to her shoulders.

"maybe some of your friends would like to take part. I know ice balls has been looking for someone to take care of his needs." John bit.

The shock and amusement quickly faded on her features. Her eyebrows knitted as her eyes darted and she pursed her lips with a restraining inhale. His hardened jaw released as she swung her head to the side, avoiding his eyes.

"can you please get off me." She whispered.

He released her arms and stared at her as though he was watching a car crash that he couldn't take his eyes off of. He didn't know what he was supposed to say or do. John realized that he had burst the only bubble of happiness that she had in the past days.

And for what? Because he was tired?

She shook him off as she rolled onto her side. Sitting on his side, John searched his thoughts for a way to fix what he had done.

"Rogue…" he began, but she cut him off.

"just stop." She whispered.

"you know I didn't-" he continued as she stopped him again.

"I know…" she said, still facing away from him.

* * *

They awoke a few hours later to the bright sun drowning their room. John peered over his shoulder to find that Rogue was no longer in bed with him. He quickly shot up to scan the room. She was nowhere to be found.

Panic set in as he found his jacket on the floor. She was gone. Had she really left without saying goodbye? Had she left him to be on his own because of what he had said earlier?

Just then the door opened to reveal Rogue carrying two cups. She kicked the door behind her with her foot. Then she realized that she was face to face with rigid John.

"where the hell have you been!?" he demanded.

"I got us some coffee. Geez, what happened to you?" she asked, calmly.

"coffee? And you didn't wake me? I thought…I mean what makes you think…I…" he took a hand to his head. Running it through his hair and letting his stored air seep out, John moved towards her.

"You can't just leave without telling me, okay?" he said.

She smiled at his display. "alright."

"promise me you won't leave without telling me." He ordered.

"okay." She said.

"no, promise me." He was still riled up.

She laughed slightly, "I promise."

"good." He began pacing back towards the bed. "how the hell did you get coffee anyway? We have no money last I checked."

"I know." She grinned.

"you didn't…"

"take it without asking? Well, maybe. I mean I am learning from the best." She said.

"I can't believe this. Good little Rogue, stealing."

"believe it Pyro." She stated.

He smiled a bit to himself while she moved to sit in a window seat.

"about last night…" he started. He wasn't sure why it was so important that he apologize, but it was clear to Rogue that he wasn't letting it go.

"I already told you, I get it."

"no, I was out of line. Especially with everything that has happened in the past few weeks."

She looked at him curiously. It was as if she was seeing him in a new way. Trying to figure out who this person was in front of her.

"I accept your apology okay? So we got a plan here?" she asked.

"yeah, I figure we'll get you on a bus back to the mansion. I'm gonna go scrounge up some cash for a ticket and then you'll be off."

"a bus ticket?"

"yeah, what's wrong with that?" he asked, confused.

"what about you?" that caught him off guard. He hadn't really thought about his next move. His moves after she was back home, safe.

"who knows. Maybe I'll stay here a while. Might go off and take on those government bastards. Got a few friends still willing to help."

She moved off the window seat and walked towards him.

"so that's it? You jump around place to place and take on the government all on your own?"

"well, not on my own. I'm not completely stupid Rogue." He laughed although he stopped when her face remained serious.

"I could call Logan. He could come get me here instead of taking the bus and then-" she started, but he waved his hand in the air, understanding her underlying motives.

"You're not going to get me back there. He'll never drag me without a fight. Even then, you and I both know my place isn't there."

"John, please you can't live like this!" she pleaded.

"This is my choice Rogue. This is who I am. It's all I've ever been. Before the professor flew me back to that mansion, where do you think I was? I wasn't some wholesome kid with god-fearing parents to send me to some prep school. I was in a gutter, fighting for my life. Anything seemed better than being my father's human ashtray punching bag."

"John…" she had tears in her eyes now. All his secrets about his past…She understood it now. She understood why they had been clicked before.

He wasn't about to let his emotions break through. He was piling up that stonewall again.

She rushed closer to him with her heart aching. Not knowing what to do, she hugged him. At first it was just her arms wrapped around his neck and shoulders. He stood there, but slowly he slid his hand around her and onto her back. He felt her cheek brush his, but nothing happened. There was no pull.

He reacted then by pulling her out to arms length. Her own arms unraveled from his body as his held on to her elbows.

"Your powers didn't kick in." he said.

"I know…they've been coming in random bursts I guess. Won't be long I think until I can't control it."

"you mean, you can control it!?" he asked quickly.

"well, no. I don't know. Dr. McCoy wasn't sure if it was my mutation coming back in burst or if it was linked to my emotions…I mean I restrained myself with Peter, but it doesn't always work…sometimes-"

She was halted then by the look on John's face.

"what?" she asked, baffled.

He didn't respond, just stood there wide-eyed and contemplating something.

"what?" she tried again, getting a little annoyed.

Then before she knew what was happening, his lips were on hers. He was wrapping his arms around her once more. Rogue was surprised, to say the least. His mouth was attacking her own and while she felt the pull initially, it dissipated as the shock of his actions wore off and recognition set in.

Then she was smiling into his kiss. She was controlling her powers.

Forgetting all her reservations, Rogue kissed him back forcefully. They were melding their mouths together as their bodies pressed into one and other. He pushed her towards a wall for support. Her back pressed into the worn wood, Rogue used her hands to roam into his hair and pull his face closer into her own.

He lifted her away from the wall a bit as he dislodged his own coat from her shoulders and threw it aside. Without thinking he pulled her up on the wall and she sat along his hips.

Then they both had to come up for air. John feared that she would realize then what they had been doing, or rather who she was letting violate her mouth.

With ragged breathing between the both of them, John moved his lips to her exposed neck. She moved her hands down his back, pulling underneath his shirt's hemline.

It was then John knew that they had to stop it before he took it too far. He wanted her so badly that it was clouding his judgment, but he knew that he didn't want to be some regret for her. Usually he could have sex with careless ease. It was in his personality. Sex wasn't some big production; however, with Rogue he knew that she had never experienced the act before. For her it was an important step. As her friend, or former friend, or whatever they were now, he knew that he couldn't make the choice for her. He had to be the guy she always saw in him. Some kind of resemblance of a respectable person.

Still with her hands underneath his shirt, however now across his abs, Rogue felt his body move a few inches away from her own. He sighed with closed eyes as he pushed his forehead to lay against her own and held his hands pressed against the wall behind her head.

"John…" she said, puzzled.

"Rogue, I'm trying to be good here. I'm sorry if I just did something that you completely regret. Trust me I'm used to being that guy." His eyes were still shut, even as she searched the face leaning above her own.

"being what guy?" she asked.

"the forgettable kind." He moved his forehead off hers, keeping his hands planted on the wall on either side of her head. John opened his eyes to seek her own.

She smiled. "you know you did catch me off guard." She removed her hands from under his shirt. "I wasn't expecting it at all and when my powers kicked in I freaked out. Thing is…I controlled it!" she grinned now. "I freaking, controlled them for the first time."

"still a proper girl I guess." He was referring to her use of 'freaking' and he smiled slightly.

she placed a hand on top of his chest.

"how do you feel about me? No games." She was serious.

"I think you know now." He said.

"I need you to say it." She said back.

"say what? That you have always been one of my best friends. That even though I am this badass killer I still get weak around exactly one person? That I don't deserve any of your compassion and yet I demand it every time I see you? That I feel like a complete and utter poofter by declaring any of this shit in front of you?" he moved away from her, away from her hands.

"I know what you are John. I know what you've done and yet you keep saving me. You're there in my head when I don't want you to be and I can't for the life of me explain why it's so damn important for me to keep you alive. I was angry when Bobby said he killed you. I was angry when you left us. Yet, here I am unable to trust you completely, but irrevocably drawn to you."

"you have to go. You need to go back to the mansion and forget me Rogue. We both need to stop this now."

"why?" she moved to him, but he inched back.

"because this can never be anything than it already is. We don't fit. We don't work."

"who says?" she shouted.

"I say. You say. You just said you couldn't trust me. It's true. I don't know who I am with you. I don't know who John is."

She moved quickly to him and took his head in her hands.

"but I know who John is. I know who you are."

He ripped her palms away and backed further away.

"you have no idea who I am. You think I'll just be like I was before Magneto came."

She was unsure how to react next. It was clear that he was behind his wall once more. As Rogue fought through her mind for a way to reach him, there was a pounding on the door.

Screams flooded the hallways and shots reverberated off the walls of the building. The pounding continued as the door's hinges shook.

"Rogue!" John yelled in her direction

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you SO much to my lone reviewers RogueNya & MythStar Black Dragon

Your responses helped me to pick up the drive once again.

I'm also trying to bump up the readers by possibly making a trailer on YT, granted I've made a total of one X-men vid on there. Anyways if you guys have suggestions for places to find Aaron clips from stuff like Traveler, then please let me know. OR if someone wants to feels so inclined to fill my wish list then please feel free to make the trailer. Any info is brilliant!

I think I prefer writing the Ryro to all the action parts since I seem to get too wrapped up in the back-story crap. Oh well, I'm still learning and I'm proud of what I've done along this journey so far.

to RogueNya: sorry I didn't really explain Teva's power very well, but I thought I'd incorperate it more than I did in this chapter, but instead I used her more as a character voice. Don't worry if you still don't get it because in the end...it shouldn't matter.


	16. Human

**Spun**

**By Liz Wyatt**

Chapter 16: Human

_There's one way out and one way in_

_Back to the beginning_

_There's one way back to home again_

_To where I feel forgiven_

_What is this I feel, why is it so real_

_What am I to say_

_It's only love, it's only pain_

_It's only fear, that run through my veins_

_It's all the things you can't explain_

_That make us human_

_-Civil Twilight_

* * *

The noise outside the thin wooden door forced Rogue to stand cemented in place. She stretched her hearing to make out a woman yelling obscenities in the distance between booming vibrations that shook the building's walls.

At first there was a loud thud as through something or someone had been tossed into the hinges. Then there was a consistent repetition of that sound followed with low moans of pain. From under the door crack Rogue could see the shadows shifting quickly as smoke filled the lit space.

"Rogue!" John called as he grabbed her arm. The smoke was already billowing under and beginning to take over the room.

Rogue snapped out of it, following the pull of her arm. "Can't you do something!? You know, lower the flame so the smoke will stop?" she yelled above everything else.

He couldn't believe she was criticizing him at the moment.

"hey! First of all I'd have to be able to at least see or have some idea where the flame actually was. Secondly, THAT is not fire smoke! It's a smoke bomb or at least some sort of gas. Can't you smell the difference?" she shook her head quickly in confusion.

"guess not." He answered for her.

"we got to get out of here." Rogue stated while walking out of his grasp. She scrambled to a window and threw is open.

He rushed to her side.

"What now? We can't jump down that far. Unless you can fly Roguey, I think we are a bit screwed."

"well thanks for that helpful suggestion Pyro! Now shut up and let me think." She scanned the room quickly.

As she did this the floor above them shook, releasing plaster to rain down on them.

"great…" Rogue mumbled while pushing dust off her hair.

John looked around outside the windows. Then he ran to the bedroom and tried to open the smudged glass. It wouldn't budge so he shoved his boot into it.

"what are you doing?" Rogue demanded.

"finding a solution. What's it look like?" he wiped away the excess glass with his jacket.

"it looks like you're a crazy person."

He smiled at that which caused Rogue's furrowed brow to ease a bit.

"so genius, what are we going to do then?"

"the fire escape is just a bit over from here." He stated while popping the frame off the window.

Rogue looked out the window.

"that fire escape is on another building."

"yeah…" John said with a condescending tone.

"so, how the hell are we meant to get all that way?"

"momentum." John grinned wickedly. Rogue could tell that he was proud of himself for finding a way out; however, Rogue wasn't so sure he'd come up with a good plan. True the buildings weren't too far away if you had a rope to swing from, but to jumping seemed impossible.

Just then the door's top hinge broke free and sputtered across the room.

"now or never Rogue." He scanned her terrified expression and crossed the space between them. He put his hand on her shoulder. "I'll go first."

He backed up as far as he could. His hands balled into fists at his side. He was trying to control his breathing as if he was a swimmer going into a dive. He had to tear his eyes away from Rogue's face in order to muster all his brazen courage that he had found before. He was closing his eyes.

Rogue stared in horror for what would happen next.

"wait!" she yelled and walked over to his position.

"god dammit Rogue!" he said frustrated.

"just…don't fall okay?"

"well…that would be the plan…" he chuckled with anxiety.

She held his hand for a moment. Their eyes met once again and she nodded with an encouraging smile.

He took a deep breath and lunged. Sprinting, to the window he stepped on the old radiator beneath it and then the windowsill. His body flung out of the building. He extended his arms to reach out for the old metal above him. John could almost touch it as the bar he'd been reaching for whipped further above him and his rib collided with the railing instead. Curling over the railing in pain, with the wind knocked out o him, John melded his body to hold on. Swinging one leg over the railing and then flinging the other over, he landed on his back with a thud while holding his ribs and swearing loudly.

Rogue knew he had made it, but seeing him in pain only reinforced her lack of enthusiasm for John's plan.

"you okay?" she yelled while leaning out the window.

He rolled up slowly and stood on the wired platform. He raised a hand signaling her to not worry. He had a tight smile plastered on his face.

"okay, your turn." He said, breathing slowly.

"right…" Rogue said with a voice higher than her own.

"I'm right here!" he yelled to reassure her, though it didn't help much.

"well I know that! But see I'm here!" she backed up as far as she could and told herself to calm down. It wasn't working. The door burst open as a man dressed in black ops gear looked left and then right. Right, to where she was now frozen.

'run! Shut up and just run!' a voice yelled inside her head. Rogue recognized it as Teva's, not her own.

'trust him and run!'

Without hesitation she began running towards the window.

"what are you doing!? Freeze!" the man called out, but Rogue was already one foot out of the window and hurling her body to John's platform. Like John, she knew she wouldn't reach the bar above; however, her body was falling quicker than his had. She zoomed past his waiting hand and found herself falling.

"Rogue!" John cried out.

Rogue shut her eyes, waiting for the impact to come. It never came. She opened her eyes to see that she was hovering a few feet from the ground. Her body panicked then and she fell the rest of the distance with less momentum. It still hurt her and she definitely felt the scraps across her exposed forearms. Her body had also landed in what she could assume was a dirty puddle.

There was a racket coming from above her. She rolled onto her back in pain. She tried to lift her arm to wipe the mud away from her cheek. Beside her a ladder shattered to the ground and a body was thrown from it.

John, she thought.

He quickly got up and ran to her side.

"my god. How? You…and I couldn't reach you…what the fuck just happened!?"

"you think I know?" she said with a moan. "help me up you idiot."

His eyes widened and he nodded before pulling her up to her feet.

"you okay?"

"I'll live, which a few minutes ago didn't seem likely." She smiled.

"okay, you're just going to accept what happened? You. The girl with a thousand questions and who overanalyzes everything."

"John, there are government agents with guns inside that building. Normally you'd be the one telling me to shut up and move now."

He paused, thinking.

"fine. Shut up and move?"

"there ya go." She wheezed in her breaths as they tried to hurry out of the alleyway.

* * *

After walking for a while, John told her that they could rest on a bench. She was still covered in mud and not liking it one bit. The cold substance had begun to harden and become crusty. The pedestrians were a bit too curious at her state as well.

"John, I need to get cleaned up. I'm beginning to smell."

"yeah…thing is we can't exactly go to my old places. Apparently, the gov is tracking mutant hostels and the brotherhood will be watching my contacts."

"we could call the professor or Storm." She offered.

He turned to her contemplating the idea. For a second she thought he would give in; however, his eyes clouded and the notion had passed him by.

She tried again, "or we could get a hotel room?"

"and with what money?" he was pacing in front of her.

"why not sneak in somewhere then?" he paused, glancing over the mud that enveloped her and his own jacket from where he had helped her along.

"it'd have to be unoccupied…" he muttered to himself.

After a bit of silence as a couple pushed a stroller past them, Rogue was struck with a new idea. "or we could just go to my old roommate's new apartment."

"what?"

"she's going to NYU now since leaving the institute." Rogue stood up then, looking at the street name. She was assessing her new plan.

"won't she just rat you out to the school? I'm not taking that chance. Sorry kiddo, but you can do that alone." Rogue saw him pacing away from her so she pulled his jacket arm to spin back and face her.

"look, John we really don't have any options now. I played it your way, but now you've got to play it mine." She demanded with authority.

He smirked at her as she gripped his arm. "well, lead the way then miss bossy."

"shut up." She said angrily.

"whatever you say." He added sarcastically.

* * *

They found the NYU apartments after a few hours of walking. Rogue was really getting beyond the point of being able to stand the smell coming off her. John had even dropped back a bit away from her.

She approached the stoop and turned to face him. He looked at her confused.

"just…let me do the talking." She said cautiously.

"Rogue, it's not like she'll throw us out. I mean you two were friends right?" he stated.

She didn't respond, but her eyes betrayed her.

"right?" he tried again, growing a bit louder as if she didn't hear him.

"well…"

"she's not even a friend Rogue!? What the hell are we doing here. God, you know what-" he fumed.

"-hey! I know it's not ideal, but it'll work. We weren't the best of friends and she was only my roommate for a few months before she left because no one wanted to room with me…and besides once she sees us she can't just refuse…" Rogue tried to sound sure of herself.

John pushed past her and grabbed the door as someone was exiting the building. The girl smiled at John and paused in disgust at Rogue's appearance.

"nothing to see. Move along." Rogue yelled as the girl all but ran down the street.

"come on, you're scaring the locals now." John motioned for her to go through the door.

Once inside they saw NYU posters everywhere. They trudged up the old staircase to the top floor. He knocked for the both of them.

The door quickly opened and a guy appeared in the doorway.

"I'm guessing you're not Ruby." John stated.

"nope. Can I help you?" he asked while looking at Rogue with a laugh. She rolled her eyes in frustration and was about to tell this new guy off when John interrupted her.

"Just need to see Ruby if she's around. We're…old friends."

He looked as though he didn't quite believe them, but he couldn't find any reason to block their access so he yelled over his shoulder for the girl they'd been looking for.

The guy was then replaced by a tall thin girl with platinum blonde hair. She looked like a supermodel Rogue thought. Long legs to make up for the lack of chest.

"Hello?" Ruby wavered.

"hi…" John started, but looked to Rogue to speak.

Ruby followed John's gaze.

"Rogue?" she asked while squinting her eyes to try and make out her former roommate under the mud.

"yeah…it's me."

"what happened to you?" Ruby laughed slightly.

"fell into some…stuff. Look I know I have no right to ask for this but we kind of need a place just to…regroup and shower. I didn't know anyone else in town…so I was hoping you'd be okay with this?"

Ruby pursed her lips and folded her arms across her chest.

"Rogue, really what are you doing here? Shouldn't your big boyfriend be saving you from this sort of situation?"

Rogue held in her quick rush of anger.

"no. he's not with me. I get that you don't necessarily want to help me after how I treated you back at the mansion."

"like you treat everyone Rogue." Ruby interjected.

"I wouldn't say that…" Rogue said.

"why not? I mean, you always keep everyone at arms length. I tried to be nice to you and just get you out of that dark room but you would rather lock yourself up and not talk to anyone. Just those crazy voices in your head. I was afraid to come in the room because I thought you were some whacked out person. You refused to drink with us. You didn't want any fun. Honestly, I don't know why Bobby kept dating you. He could have had any of us."

Rogue's eyes darted down with exhaustion. John noticed that and decided it was time for his rescue.

"Hey princess, do you really think anyone cares what you think about Rogue? You're a Xavier knock off and if you know what's good for you then you'll let us in. You can't be as stupid as you look. As much as I appreciate a good ole go around, I think we should do this the nice way where you realize that we aren't leaving and you're not exactly in the position to turn us away."

Ruby glanced back into the apartment contemplating something.

"really, I think that I am in that position. I have the power here. I mean who the hell do you think you are little boy."

"well this little boy has seen more real fighting than all that training you failed at in the danger room. I mean it's not like you were good enough to be an x-men. Why else would you be here?" he shot back with a hard smile.

She was angry as she narrowed her eyes towards them. Rogue pushed in front of John.

"you'll never know we are even here Ruby."

The model wannabe sighed in irritation

"fine. I'm going to be at Chuck's anyways. Don't touch anything and be gone by the time I come back tomorrow."

Ruby called for Chuck then and the two of them left with a slam of the door.

* * *

Rogue smiled towards John as he glanced around the apartment.

"so much for letting me do the talking." She laughed.

"yeah well, I can see why you wouldn't be friends with that one." He pointed to the closed front door.

"okay, I need a shower." She moved towards the bathroom.

"you and me both. I'll see what she has for food while you do that." He moved to the kitchen, directly next to the bathroom.

Walking into the bathroom, Rogue was astonished by the old marble tiles and sink. The shower had a tinted glass window that led into the spacious area. She looked at herself in the mirror and began peeling the pants off her tired legs. Then she lifted her wife beater over her head and gasped in pain.

She didn't realize until that moment that she had left the door slightly ajar amidst her inspection of the bathroom. So when John came rushing in she nearly jumped back.

"what is it? Are you okay?" he asked frantic.

She laughed at the expression plastered on his face.

"I'm fine… I think." She tried to see over onto the underside of her bicep.

He moved further in the room and held her arm out gently. He slowly paused his fingers over a cut around that area.

"It doesn't look too bad…probably just stings…" he looked up into her eyes then. She had been watching him with playful curiosity; however, she watched as his eyes darkened as he realized the state of her undress. He began to let go of her arm and seemed to try and shake away the look in his eyes.

She grabbed his wrist and forced him to look back her.

"John…" she said slightly above a whisper.

She moved towards him ever so slowly, giving him time to process what was happening.

As she got close enough for him to feel her breath on his skin, she whispered, "Please just do this for me." He looked into her eyes with utter confusion, but he was quickly caught off guard by her lips brushing against his own.

He kissed her back, with less force than the kisses that they had shared before.

"you're a bit dirty." John laughed even while he said it.

With one hand he turned on the shower. She pushed his coat off without delay. Following that to the floor was his shirt. Then she was unbuckling his pants with shaky hands. He grabbed her hands and undid his own pants. He wiggled out of them in a not so slick fashion. They both stood there in the underwear. He swallowed, unsure.

She stepped back into the streamline of the shower. He waited, until she pulled his hand a few moments later. Once both inside, he shut the glass door slowly. Steam was filling the space between them. Her hair matted to her face and neck, Rogue tried to soap up all the mud off her arms and ankles. He took the soap and washed over her shoulders and onto her back. He traced small circles with the bar of soap before sliding a finger underneath one of her bra straps. He slid it down and began to clean the area.

She spun around to face him full on as he did the same to the opposite strap. He had been watching his own hand, hence he hadn't noticed her eyes following him wildly.

When he caught her gaze he dropped the soap. She giggled.

"you know…I don't think I've ever showered with anyone before." She stated.

"well there go all my fantasies about you and Jubilee's late nights." He smirked.

"John!" she protested in false anger as she swatted his shoulder.

"what?" he grinned.

She kept staring; however, he glanced over her body and said that she seemed to be clean now.

She rubbed her hands over her stomach and arms, inspecting her body.

"guess so." She muttered.

Rogue looked back at John's expectant face.

"we should…" he started, but couldn't quite finish his thought.

"shut up and move." She demanded, recalling their earlier interaction.

"um…move?" He said in confusion

She moved further out of the spray so it was hitting her lower back now. Biting her lip, she slowly moved her hand to her upper back. She unclasped her bra and pulled it down gradually. She could see his throat contract.

Then Rogue dropped the piece of clothing to the floor and flushed in her cheeks.

She was literally exposing herself to him and all that 'fight or flight' was coming raging back inside her body.

Without much hesitation he closed his eyes.

"Rogue…we've been over this."

"relax John. I may not have done this before…but I know what I'm doing. I know…that it's you. I want…it to be you." She said with her voice unwavering.

He opened his eyes when he felt her shift to him. She placed her hands on either side of his face. Then they were kissing. He tried to protest, but soon gave in to her.

He wrapped his arms around her back and pushed his hands up to roam her damp hair. She pushed his back against one of the wet walls and pushed her own body as close to his as it would allow. The feeling of that much skin on skin contact was new to Rogue, but she willed her powers to stay buried while she enjoyed the slick feel of his chest rising against her own in rapid gasps of air.

John's hands couldn't be controlled as he roamed her back, leaving imprints from the pressure of his fingertips upon her heated skin. Then he was holding her to him as he kissed her neck. She gasped in surprise at the sensation of his cool mouth against her sensitive jugular.

Rogue knew that this wasn't her apartment and that they could be interrupted at any time. With that in mind she rushed to shut the faucet off.

With her back to him now, he pulled her to his chest and continued kissing her neck. She led the way out of the bathroom while he spun her with a desperate force. In an instant he was back assaulting her mouth as they stumbled towards the bedroom.

They both paused to assess their new surroundings. The bed was already in a tussle and unmade. Pushing ugly thoughts of what her former roommate had been doing prior to the two mutant's arrival, Rogue shut the door and pulled John to the living room instead.

They tumbled together down onto the cushions of the large couch. He pressed her further into the pillow. She felt something press against her thigh and she pushed him up a little as a reaction new discovery. He stared down at her in confusion.

"you okay?" he asked quietly.

"I just…well, it's not like I've ever gone this far before. I didn't know…I mean, your…" She muttered in embarrassment.

He chuckled with a smile. "Sorry to tell you this, but if you thought I wouldn't react to your body all over mine then you might wanna rethink this."

"no, it's not that. I'm sorry. I'll shut up now." She closed her eyes and exhaled loudly.

He placed a hand on the side of her neck, forcing her to open her eyes.

"hey…I get it. This was new for me once to ya know."

"what? About 100 girls ago?"

He sighed, "I can't change who I am or what I've done. You know this."

"I just…I can't stop thinking that I'm gonna do this all wrong. That I'm terrible at this and I know this shouldn't mean much to you. I want it to be easy."

"this. Is never easy at first. You over think the whole thing until you're so nervous that it could be really bad, but you know what…who cares? Beside…" he kissed her forcefully for a second.

"you are hardly terrible at this."

Rogue smiled into the next kiss. Slipping over the movement of his back, she rested her hands on the hem of his boxers. His body reacted and pressed back into her thigh. She scooted his boxers down over his butt and released all of him. Tossing the boxers aside, he took hold of her bottoms and inched them down her thighs before removing them completely.

Feeling their pelvises pushed together for the first time, she flushed at the intimacy.

He was urgent as he sought confirmation in her eyes. She nodded and he pushed forward with a rush. She gasped as she contracted in slight pain.

"John.." she strained with a whisper.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt you." He said quietly.

"no, no. it's okay. Just…slower."

With that he nodded and rose above her once more.

* * *

Rogue searched the ceiling. It was plain with the exception of a fan that was making slow rotations. Everything around her was moving in slow motion. She heard John pattering around the kitchen, barefoot. His shoes lay long discarded.

The grin on her features could not be contained upon seeing him hurry back into the living room with pop tarts in hand.

"what are you grinning at?" he asked in confusion.

"nothing. You're just kind of cute. You're like a little kid right now."

"well I guess you have a thing for kids. That's a little messed up Rogue." He proceeded to sit down on the couch as she scrunched her legs up and shifted to more of a seated position.

Both had reclothed a bit after everything was said and done.

"who says I have a thing for you?" Rogue shot back lightly

"okay, maybe you just took advantage of me because you loathe me so much." He mused.

"maybe." She smiled.

With a loud horn honking from the street outside, Rogue whipped her head around in the direction of the noise coming through an open window. It had startled her and caused the two mutants to break eye contact.

Then there were footsteps and giggles of the college kids running in the hallway. The slamming of a door in the distance snapped Rogue out of her mellow state. She recalled how their previous stay had been interrupted.

John's smirk had now softened into a slight frown.

"you need to contact someone."

"what?" Rogue was caught off guard by his quick attitude change. He'd become so serious in a few seconds

"you know, use a phone. Call the Wolverine to say you're all safe and ready to come home."

Rogue shifted closer to him, her eyes wide.

"I thought we'd established I'm not doing that. Not…without you."

The horns roared up again. He seemed to be annoyed with the extra noises as he shot up to stand.

"You know I'd never go with you. Did you really think that sex would bind me to you alone or something?"

Rogue stood up quickly in bruised anger.

"of course I didn't think you were _bound_ to me! You can go out and screw whatever whore you want next John Allderyce! I guess I figured I'd offer you a chance at a real life, but hey you're right. I'm just a dumb and naive little girl. You know what? Screw you!"

Then she was moving to the phone in the kitchen.

He stood frozen trying to make sense of his next moves. Completely aware of her jerky behavior he had an instinct unlike his usual self to run and talk her down. However, he also knew that he needed to push her away once and for all. For both of their sakes.

John listened to her struggle through the conversation. Her eyes glistened with angry tears locked in her eyes. She refused to let them fall. Maybe she would later.

Striking a higher octave, her voice screamed it's own abnormality.

"Logan! I'm fine. Really. Everything is okay…I'm in the city at Ruby's place. I'm sorry for putting you guys through all this crap. I'd like to come home now…" she muttered quietly into the receiver.

"okay…see you then." She hung up the phone and inhaled to hold her composure. Turning around, she saw John's form leaning in the doorway. Not knowing what to say without losing her self-control, Rogue avoided his eyes and made herself busy by searching the apartment for the rest of her things.

"Rogue…" John started softly. It wasn't a comforting sound.

"I need to find my stuff. He'll be here in the next hour." She stated while staring and searching across the floors.

"That's good." John stated.

"yeah it's great. I can't wait to have an actual bed that's mine." She quipped with false enthusiasm.

"how it should be?" he asked more to himself.

* * *

She gathered the rest of her things and headed into Ruby's bedroom. Rummaging through her former roommates dresser, Rogue bypassed the sluttish gear and went for a pair of sweatpants and an 'I love NY' t-shirt.

Beginning to change silently, she saw him glance in the room so she shut the door quickly and stumbled back to sit at the foot of the bed.

She breathed with heaving distress as she realized that she had just given her virginity to the mutant behind the closed door. The man who had torn up her life over and over again at his own leisure. There was the startling realization that she had let him do it.

Now he was offering her an out of the sick cycle. Whether he'd saved her because it was a fleeting moment he had based on a memory of a friendship that they both couldn't seem to forget or something else, he'd done so without consideration for himself.

The image of the two of them lying together every day, like they did on the couch a few hours prior wasn't realistic. She'd been wrapped up the idea of him.

Rogue knew it was time. The clock on the bedside table let her know that Logan would be waiting soon.

After gathering up her things, she opened the door and headed into the main area where John was waiting with his own things.

They stepped through the threshold of the front door and silently trudged outside.

It was beginning to rain and the car's tires were sloshing with the fresh storm. Rogue sat on the stoop, underneath the overhang. John chose to lean across the stone railing of the stoop.

Rogue nodded and tried to smile at the students who were coming and going against the evening sky. It was the end of twilight and the lampposts illuminated the hundreds of umbrellas that passed in front of them.

"what will you do now? Really." She asked without turning to look at his direction.

"not sure." He replied honestly and with a cautious tone as if he expected her to blow up at him.

"I don't want to care you know. I don't really worry if that makes me weak in your eyes either."

"I know." He answered from behind her.

"just tell me one thing. You owe me that." She looked back at his form and caught him staring at her. He nodded.

"Did you do all this to just fuck with me because you know it'd hurt me and screw with my mind all over again? Or did some part of you, however small, actually mean what you said before about how I'm the only one you get weak around?"

She waited as he seemingly collected his thoughts. His neck shuddered as he swallowed hard and opened his mouth. Before he could answer, headlights flashed across his face, causing them both to look at the pick up truck coming to a halt at the curb. A door flew open with as Logan came bounding out. Rogue immediately stood up as he hurriedly crushed her to him. Rogue was taken aback a bit

"kid! Don't you EVER run off alone after something like that again!" he was being as authoritative as he could be, though she saw his weary eyes telling her another story. He was truly worried about her. She knew that he had finally forgiven her and himself for the incident about Jean that had happened in the danger room.

She smiled towards him. "I won't."

Then Logan's focus changed to look up towards the Pyro.

"and you!" John stood straighter as Rogue swung her body completely in front of Logan's moving arms. She attempted to hold him back as she pushed on the bigger man's wide chest.

"Logan! Stop! Please, god can we just get in the car? Let's go."

"That little criminal is not getting away with this!" Logan pushed his body further.

"Logan! Get in the car!" Rogue yelled with all the courage she could muster to contend with her protector. He glanced down at her frowning face only to melt under her foreign stare. He backed away slowly shaking his head in disagreement. Under his threatening gaze he also scanned over the younger man with curiosity.

"fine. I don't buy this crap and I don't like any of it. You protecting him. He doesn't deserve it."

"I know." Rogue said quickly to shut Logan up. The Wolverine circled around his truck and hopped in to rev the engine up.

Rogue turned to look at John. His eyes widened, but he didn't move. She moved further down the steps until she was next to the truck. Placing her hand on the door handle, she paused as his voice reverberated down the steps and through the rain.

"it sucks to actually care. You know it's better this way."

Glancing over her shoulder to see his face, he slowly approached the truck. They were both getting soaked in the rain, but neither seemed to care. While he moved towards her Logan honked the horn obnoxiously.

"I wish…" she started.

"me too." He said simply.

"you're not gonna be okay." She said.

"we'll see." He smiled amused with himself.

"I will never understand you John." She shook her head.

"yet you're about the only person who does." He said slowly. Glancing over her shoulder to see Logan watching him like he was prey, John added, "You need to go."

"I do?" she asked in a daze.

He moved closer, put his hand over the door handle and opened it. He touched her hand as she got into the cab of Logan's truck.

"be seeing you." He said as she shut the door. Logan tried to focus out the front of the truck instead of watching them.

She saw him back away to underneath the awning. Hands replaced in the pockets of his jacket, he nodded as Logan pulled a U-Turn on the busy street and they headed off into the distance.

Then he was gone from her view. She was going home. Back to the life she'd run away from all that time ago. Knowing she had been changed in every way, but also knowing her future was in no way set in stone. Because even the best laid plans don't always work. John had come back and rearranged everything. Rogue didn't know if they'd stay as they were forever. One thing she'd come to realize was that John Allderyce, the Pyro, did not stay gone for too long.

xFin

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**A/N:** There goes some Ryro smuttiness. I've never actually written a good sex scene and this was actually one of my attempts to broaden my writing of it. Seeing as I have danced around it a bit before. Still, I'm hardly an M writer, so if you were expecting that well…use your own imagination and dirty that scene up a bit.

Thanks to my lovely lovely lovely reviewers! You really do keep my fire burning for Ryro. You are the reason I never gave up on this even after my crappy updating skills!

_This is it ladies and gentlemen_. I also have difficulty ending things, so I figured Spun had run it's course for this time in Rogue's life (in my ryro world). Hope you're not disappointed. I've loved writing this. Wonder what I'll do now that I'm not juicing this story?

Thank you again for taking this journey with me!!


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